How Astrid Trains Your Dragon
by Birch66724
Summary: My take on the first movie if Astrid and Hiccup switched roles. (not genderbend)
1. Chapter I

"Astrid! Don't you let that forge go out again!" Gobber hollered from across the small metal shop. Astrid snapped back to attention, hurrying out back to grab some more logs. She scowled, mad at Gobber for interrupting her, but also ashamed that she'd gotten distracted in the first place.

"Here." She muttered, stuffing the logs into the back of the forge, sparks and ash rushing out, hot air billowing in her face. The sounds from outside echoed in the shop, bouncing off the walls and amplifying, until it formed a deafening roar. Astrid had always struggled to block out the sounds of battle.

"Astrid! Look out!" Gobber yelled again as the roof of the small building exploded in flames, large timbers and flaming grass falling down around her.

" Nightfury!" She heard someone scream, causing her heart to hammer even louder in her chest. Gobber was cursing up a storm as he tried to salvage some of his leather from the hooks on the wall.

Astrid stood frozen in place, memories flashing behind her eyes. Her father, hauling water from the sea, trying to douse the fire that raged through their home, her mother, racing to find Astrid's baby sister, only to be swallowed up by the flames, while Astrid stood, silently, and watched.

It had been a Nightfury then too, and the same horror struck panic that rooted her to the ground then, was holding her feet fast to the burning floor.

"Move!" A voice yelled, barely making its way through Astrid's clouded brain. "Move!" Came another yell, this one more urgent, closer than before. "Move!" The third time the cry came, Astrid snapped her head up. She saw the whole roof of the forge, raked with flames, shaking on the four corners of the foundation. One gave way, and all Astrid could do was watch.

"Are you deaf!?" This time the voice was accompanied by a body. "Maybe blind?" The body materialized from the smoke in front of her. "Does your skin not feel temperature?"

Astrid's heart rose to her throat and her stomach dropped. The boy, or rather young man, standing before her was none other than Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. He was the talk of the village. _The best dragon fighter Berk had ever seen_ , men said. Or, _The most attractive man to walk the shores of the island_ , the women said.

He was only sixteen, one year older than Astrid, and already had taken down a Monstrous Nightmare. Upon hearing this news, Stoik, the Chief of Berk, and Astrid's father, had bestowed upon the young man his helmet. Hiccup wore it now, the silver designs on the side catching light from the fire, making then look as though they were moving, the intricate patterns dancing up and down.

"Astrid?" Hiccup questioned, waving one hand in front of her face, causing her eyes to blink and her foot to take a step back. She stumbled over a bucket, and let out a scared squeak as she lost her footing, sending her falling into the fire covered wall behind her.

"Woah!" Hiccup said, grabbing her by the shoulder and swinging her up into his arms.

"I'm fine," She tried to say, struggling to put her feet back on the ground.

"Shh. I've got you." Hiccup said, silencing her. Astrid hoped he didn't look down and see how red her face was getting. She couldn't tell if this was her worst nightmare, embarrassing herself in front of Hiccup, or her favorite daydream, being rescued by him.

She settled on nightmare when he roughly put her down, saying, "Don't you ever pay attention?" His harsh words were accompanied by an icy glare.

"I'm sorry." Astrid murmured, looking at the ground. The stood in silence for a few moments. Or, as silent as it could get with the village under attack, before Hiccup added, with his voice softening slightly,

"Just, trying to be more careful next time?" He reached out and brushed a smudge of soot from her arm, before giving her shoulder a squeeze and turning away, running back into the village to join the battle.

For several seconds, Astrid stood in stunned stillness. Then, as she saw the blue blast of the Nightfury lights up the sky, her anger set in.

She was angry at the Nightfury, for obvious reasons, she was angry at Hiccup, for acting like her savior, and she was angry at her father, Stoik, for publicly preferring Hiccup over her. Astrid kicked at a rock, but only succeeded in stubbing her toe. She growled out a curse, and took off running.

She sprinted around the outskirts of the village, dodging frightened sheep, jumping over downed trees and ducking fires, until she reached her house. Out of breath, she shoved open the back door, and drug out a canon type thing she had been working on. It shot out a length of rope, in an X shape, with a rock tied at each end. It was meant to entangle a dragon, causing them to not be able to fly, or even stand. Astrid had yet to shoot it at a moving target, and her heartbeat quickened at the prospect.

Dragging the heavy weapon behind her, she struggled up the slope behind her house, eventually coming to a halt at the top, her calves stinging and her lungs burning with the cool night air. She quickened her set up as she saw another shot fired from the mouth of a Nightfury.

"C'mon, c'mon." She muttered to herself, opening up the back legs of the canon and flipping the cover off the top. She stuffed in the shot and pulled back on the trigger, aiming the barrel towards the sky.

Several long moments passed with Astrid's eyes darting feverishly over the night sky. Then she saw it. A faint blue glow as the mysterious black dragon opened its mouth, preparing to fire off another shot.

"It's now or never." She muttered to herself, lining up the canon and releasing the trigger. The recoil from the shot sent her head over heels, tumbling down the slope. Astrid righted herself just in time to see the deadly blue blast misfire into the sea, and hear a guttural cry. Her breath hitched in her throat when she'd realized what she'd done. She'd hit the Nightfury, because if there was one thing the Vikings did know about the beast, was that it never, _never,_ misses.

"What are you doing up here?" Hiccup's voice sounded from behind her. Astrid jumped, whirling around as if to hide the canon behind her back.

"What are _you_ doing up here?" She shot back, narrowing her eyes at him. He looked taken aback, but just for a moment.

"Stoik sent me to look for you once he realized Gobber's shop had burned down."

"How nice of him." Astrid said sarcastically, crouching down and folding the legs of the canon back up, seeming uninterested in the conversation.

"What is that?"

"What's it look like?"

"Jeez okay." Hiccup raised up his hands as if in defense.

"Sorry." Astrid bit out, for the second time that night. Dawn was starting to creep over the horizon, and most of the dragons had been beaten away. The village was left to put out fires and rebuild. Again.

"Let me help you." Hiccup offered as Astrid began to struggle with the canon back down the slope. She reluctantly allowed Hiccup to take the handles and trailed him as he easily returned to the house.

"What were you doing with this thing anyway?" He asked, brushing his hands down the front of his armor.

"Shooting a Nightfury." Astrid said, turning away and collecting her notebook and and ash pencil from the counter.

"What?" Hiccup said, laughing. The bold, hearty sound filled the small back room of the house. It warmed Astrid, until she realized that he was laughing at her.

"I knew you wouldn't believe me!" She snarled, glaring at him with her burning eyes.

Hiccup stopped, his face falling slack. "No, it's just that-"

"What? No one has ever killed one, so how could _I_ be the first?"

"Um, yeah, exactly that."

Astrid made a disgusted sigh sound at the back of her throat. She stuffed the notebook and pencil into a pack, threw in a water flask and some food, and pushed past Hiccup out the door.

"Wait!" He called, jogging after her. "Your dad won't like this!"

"I don't care!" Astrid shouted, whipping around. She felt bold, talking back to someone wasn't something she often did.

"Well," Hiccup followed her, anxiously twirling a knife. "I was meant to come keep you safe, and-"

"Of course you were! He doesn't think I can do anything! Just you wait! Wait until I bring back the heart of a Nightfury, and then you'll all see!" Astrid hollered, not turning around. She didn't want Hiccup to see the tears etching trails down her sooty cheeks.

AN_

Hey Guys! This is my first HTTYD fanfic, and as you can see, it is my take on the first movie if Astrid and Hiccup switched places. Hope you enjoyed it!


	2. Chapter II

Astrid was exhausted. She'd been walking since sunrise, and it was now noontime. She was frustrated and still radiating anger. Her outburst at Hiccup had left her feeling awful, and her inability to find the Nightfury she'd shot was only exemplifying it.

Astrid closed her eyes, leaned against a tree, and let herself slide down to the ground. Tears that she refused to let out burned against the backs of her eyelids. Her stomach growled and her mouth was dry. Miserably, she ate a hard bread roll and drank some water she had brought. She didn't want to return to the village. She _couldn't._ Not after her bold statements to Hiccup.

Then she heard it. He head snapped up. The same deep cry she'd heard when she'd struck the dragon. A few moments later, it came again. Jumping to her feet, Astrid grabbed up her things and raced through the woods, her energy restored. After a few more minutes, she found a path of demolition, where the dragon must have crashed and slid. Her heart beat quicker as she shouldered her pack and crept carefully.

The cry came again. Astrid jumped. It was so loud, she felt she could have been standing right on top of the wounded dragon. Looking down, her vision spun as she peered off the edge of a ledge, and at the bottom, a huge black shape lay.

Astrid dropped to the ground, fighting to breathe as she inched forward to look again. The Nightfury writhed on the ground, push against the ropes that bound it, thrashing its head and kicking its legs. Astrid pulled out her notebook and drew a quick sketch of the creature, her hand shaking and smudging the picture.

Once she calmed down a bit, she stood and began to look for a way down into the ravine type area where the dragon lay. It was a sheer drop off from the woods into a serene little area with a small body of freshwater and small shrubs and trees. Eventually, Astrid found a small path covered in deer hoofprints. It was at the opposite side from the dragon, which lay with its back pressed against the rock wall.

Astrid withdrew her knife from its sheath at her side, holding it out in from of her with both shaking hands. "Okay. Okay." She whispered to herself. "I can do this. I can kill this Nightfury, and this will fix everything. My dad will see that I'm not useless, and Hiccup will see that I'm not some, some-" The Nightfury roared, spinning in the dirt, it's bloody tail thrashing and its head craning back to look at Astrid, who gasped, nearly dropping her knife.

For several long seconds, the two stared at each other. The dragon's green eyes dilated and then shrunk to thin vertical slits, glaring at Astrid. She gulped, adjusted her grip on the knife, and closed the distance between them.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, positioning the knife above the Nightfury's throat. Then she made the mistake of looking in the creature's eyes. The soft green was overtaken by the black pupil again as the dragon's gaze softened in defeat. It laid it's head back, exposing its throat with a gentle, purr-like noise.

"Oh. I can't do this. I can't kill you." Astrid breathed, dropping to her knees and taking a length of the rope that bound the dragon in her hand. Its black head snapped up as its front leg became free. It struggled to stand.

"Easy, boy!" Astrid cried, cutting the last two ropes and falling back on her behind and the Nightfury jumped to its feet, it's gaze icy again. He focused his eyes on Astrid's' as her started to walk towards. Astrid scrambled backwards, on to find herself pinned against the rock wall. _What have I done?_ She thought hopelessly. She'd lost hold of her knife, instead placing her hands in front of her face. The Nightfury came closer still, until his face was a mere inch from Astrid's nose. Astrid risked a glance at the creature, cracking open one eye.

The look in the Nightfury's eyes reflected her own. Frightened, alone, lost. Astrid slowly dropped her hands and turned her head straight. They two stared at each other, a odd understanding flowing between them, and suddenly Astrid knew. A tear slipped from her eye, and the Nightfury watched, intrigued, as the droplet slid down Astrid's face. Astrid saw the intelligence in his huge green eyes, the thought and the wonder. He was just as curious about her as she was about him. Just as scared of her as she was of him.

"I didn't mean it." She whispered, breaking the spell. The dragon's head withdrew, and he roared a hot breath in her face. Astrid flinched and he whipped around, running down towards the water, spreading his wings and taking off. Except he didn't get anywhere. He flapped a few strong upward beats, then he plummeting back down with an exasperated cry. He splashed in the edge of the water on the far side of the clearing, running several strides as he tried to take off again. He landing heavily a second time, his eyes wild as he tried to figure out what was going wrong.

Astrid watched, her gaze scanning over the rigid body of the Nightfury. The she saw it. His back left tail fin was torn clean off. Astrid's hand went to her mouth, as she felt wracked with guilt. She did this to him. She rendered him flightless. She sucked in a breath and took off at a run up the path. She could feel a pair of green eyes on her back as the ferns whipped at her shins and twigs pulled strands of her hair from her braid.

 **How Astrid Trains Your Dragon**

"Where have you been?" Her father's voice echoed through the room. His eerily calm tone frightened Astrid to the tips of her toes. Astrid winced, not turning to face him from where she had been trying to silently enter the house. "Answer me!" He boomed.

Astrid swallowed stiffly and turned, slowly, keeping her eyes on the warped floor boards. "Out." Astrid muttered. Rubbing her forearm where it had been gashed by a branch.

"Out?" Stoik repeated. "What kind of answer is that?"

Astrid shrugged as she slid into one of the huge chairs at the table in the middle of the room, still refusing to meet her father's eyes. "I've been in the woods."

"Hiccup told me you disobeyed his orders."

This caught Astrid's attention. She looked up, her brows knitting together as she felt hot anger bubbling just below her throat. "His _orders?_ " Astrid asked incredulously. "Since when does _Hiccup_ get to order me around?"

"You don't listen to anyone Astrid!" Stoik yelled, not answering her question. "You do what you want, when you want! It's time you start taking some responsibility!"

"You don't give me a chance!" She yelled back, standing from the table, slamming her small fist down on it.

"I've given you more than enough chances!" Stoik was breathing heavily, glaring at Astrid with a narrowed gaze. The two glared at each for a moment longer, before Stoik stood too. "I am leaving in the morning to go find the Dragon Nest. It is close. I can tell." He said, walking with heavy footstep across the room, picking up a small, intricately carved knife from a table by the door.

"And as for you," He said, facing the wall. "You'll be starting Dragon Training in the morning. With Hiccup. He's been told to mind after you while I am away" He paused, turning back to Astrid, spinning the knife absently. "A few others in the training, too. Their names escape at the moment though."

Astrid stood silently, still glaring. She chewed her cheek nervously.

"Here." Stoik tossed the knife onto the table. It glides across the smooth wood, spinning to a halt in front of Astrid. She glanced down at it. A dragon is etched into the side. The dragon looks hauntingly familiar to the Nightfury, although no one has ever seen a Nightfury and lived to tell the tale. Under the stained black dragon, her name is carved in looping cursive.

"I got you this Astrid. Be safe." Stoik says, casting her one last glance before turning and walking out the door, letting it slam shut behind him was a resounding echo.

Astrid stared blankly at the knife. Her mind spinning at all the news she's just received. Her father is leaving to find the Dragon Nest. No ship has ever returned from that expedition. She was going to start Dragon Training. Her heart sunk to her stomach when she thought about running for her life in that enclosed dome being chased by deadly dragons.

Hiccup was meant to watch her. That made her blood boil. She didn't need a babysitter. She certainly didn't need _Hiccup_ trailing after her. _Especially if I need to get back to see the Nightfury._ The thought startled her. She hadn't even realized that she wanted to return to the clearing. Thinking of the poor dragon, flightless, scared and alone, she knew she didn't have the heart to leave him to die.

A plan began to form in her mind. Something reckless, daunting, and yes, a bit stupid, but it would solve all of her problems, and all of the Nightfury's. Suddenly excited, Astrid raced up to her room, and began to draw sketches, leaving the knife on the table.

 **How Astrid Trains Your Dragon**

"Ready for your first day of Dragon Training lads?" Gobber asked, pacing in front of the line of frightened looking teenagers. Well, frightened except for Hiccup. "Who ever does the best in their training, will get the honor of killing their first dragon in front of the whole village!"

"Um, Hiccup already killed a Monstrous Nightmare, so is he disqualified?" Ruffnut snickers, punching her twin brother, Tuffnut, in the ribs. He laughs also, and then Snotlout, another boy around their age joins in. Hiccup glances around at them, his mouth cocked to the left side, frowning lightly.

"That is a good question. Good question indeed. How will it be his first dragon if he has already killed one? And the whole town practically saw that one, even Chief Stoik heard and gave him the-"

"That's enough Fishlegs!" Gobber yelled. Smacking his hook hand into his other hand, hobbling on his wooden foot over to the stocky boy who couldn't keep his mouth closed. "We'll worry about that if it becomes a problem!" He shouts in Fishleg's face. The boy flushes bright red and offers a small nod.

"Starting off then!" Gobber calls, making his way over to a large wooden door with a crank. "How many of you have seen a Gronkle up close?" With a squeal of metal and a groan of old wood, a huge dragon burst out of the door. It was a massive, ugly thing, with wart like growths on its body, huge, bulging eyes, and minuscule wings that buzzed rather than flapped. It's tongue lolled out of its mouth like a grotesque overgrown puppy.

The other recruits sprung into action, yelling, running, ducking, grabbing weapons and shields off of a table at the far end of the arena. Astrid stayed rooted in place, watching the Gronkle move throughout the space like a demented bumblebee as it bounced off the wall, shaking its head as if confused why that hurt.

"Move Astrid!" Gobber hollered at her, his gruff voice making its way into her head. With a deep breath, she ran to the table, picking up a plain wooden shield. She was surprised at its weight. It drug her down, taking all of her effort just to hold it to a position where it would even do any good.

"Watch out!" Tuffnut growls and shoves Astrid, sending her and the heavy shield tumbling to the dust. The Gronkle fires a shot, making a deep black circle on the stone wall above her head. Astrid jumps to her feet, abandoning her shield and racing around the perimeter of the arena, her eyes wild with fear. She can hear Gobber saying something about shot limits of dragons, but Astrid isn't listening. She stops running when she sees the Gronkle fire another shot at Snotlout, who blocks it with his shield, only to have the wood and iron circle explode into flaming splinters.

"Gobber!" Fishlegs yelled as the Gronkle closed on him. "It's cornering me!"

"The arena is round Fishlegs! There are no corners! You'll figure it out!" Fishlegs barely ducked under another blast of fire. "That's it! Only one shot left for this Gronkle. Beast of a thing don't ya think?"

"There is no time for thinking! We're trying to save our lives!" Ruffnut called, throwing a stone at the Gronkle, then running behind Astrid. The beast turns her direction, its crowded eyes focusing on Astrid. She gulped, turning to run, only to trip over her discarded shield. Astrid cried out, shuffling back into the wall, trying to pull the shield to protect herself.

"Help!" She squeaked out as the dragon closed the distance between them, it's mouth opening as a orange glow leaking out. Astrid held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut, abandoning herself to will of the Gronkle.

"Astrid, move!" Gobber calls out again, from all the way across the arena, much to far away to be any help.

"I can't" Astrid whispered to herself, feeling the heat from the Gronkle's mouth on her face. "I can't" She said again.

Then came the gut-wrenching sound of a hard object contacting with flesh. The Gronkle's blast explodes into the wall above Astrid's head, showering her with small rocks and dust.

Her breath coming in short bursts, Astrid opens her eyes to see Hiccup beating the beast back into its cell with a club. Astrid stayed frozen where she was, curled against the wall even after the Gronkle was looked behind the heavy door.

The other recruits watched in stunned silence as Hiccup made his way back to Astrid, offering his hand to help her up. She accepted, placing her shaky, clammy hand in his, watching as he closed his fist around it, enclosing hers completely.

"Thanks." Astrid said shakily.

"Don't worry about it. I promised your dad you wouldn't die." Hiccup shrugged, releasing her hand as soon as possible.

"You alright there, lass?" Gobber asked, hobbling over to Astrid. She offered a small nod, her face flushing with embarrassment and her eyes rooted to the ground. For several long moments, everyone stood quiet.

Clearing his throat, Gobber said, "I think that's enough for today. See you tomorrow." He walks off quickly.

"That was so awesome!" Snotlout howls, clapping Hiccup on the back. "The way you hit that Gronkle with that club! That was, that was just so awesome!"

"Thanks Snotlout." The all of the other recruits are congratulating him, and Astrid slipped out the side door, not wanting to hear her name come up in the conversation.

 **AN_**

 **Hey everyone! Here was a bit of a longer chapter for you all! Thank you so much for the favorites and follows! It gives me so much motivation!**

 **On another note, I just want to mention a few things. This fic doesn't completely follow the movie, not scene for scene anyway. I have taken some creative liberty and added some new scenes, and left out a few! Also, I am just writing this for fun, so any inaccuracies are purely accidental.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **-Birch66724**


	3. Chapter III

"Where have you gotten to?" Astrid quietly asked herself, pushing through the brush into the clearing, glancing around and not seeing the Nightfury.

It was late afternoon, a warm yellow glow covered the forest, dancing on the small waves of the pond. The light glinted off bird feathers as they darted to and fro, criss-crossing the air and darting after insects. The scent of pine fragranced the air, and a slight wind blew. It was enough to coax droplets of sweat from Astrid's brow from her hike through the woods.

Pulling a fish from her pack, she spun in a circle, holding the meal at arms length. _Where is he?_ She wondered to herself. Then, with hardly any noise, the great black beast swooped down from an outcropping of rock, landing agilely and walking forwards a few paces, his nose outstretch, sniffing hungrily at the fish. A chill went through Astrid as she realized that he must have been watching her the whole time.

Still holding the fish out to him, Astrid spoke softly. "Here. I brought it for you." The Nightfury cocked his head to one side, little ears lifting from the back of his head. Astrid couldn't help but smile at how _cute_ he looked.

The dragon rocked back, fish forgotten, as he studied Astrid's expression. Then, he pulled back his mouth, as if trying to imitate her. His pink gums and tongue showed behind his black scaly skin.

"Huh, toothless." Astrid mused aloud. She must have shifted, because her jacket moved back, revealing the knife strapped to her belt. Teeth suddenly shot from the soft pink gums, and the dragon's expression changed from one of curiousness to one of distrust and fear in a split second.

"No! No, no! Toothless, hey!" Astrid tried to sooth, her pulse quickening as the dragon drew back. In one swift movement, she pulled the knife from her belt and tossed it into the water. The sun glinted off the shiny new blade, and her carved name as it arced into the depths.

Almost at once, the dragon's expression was restored, and he took a few cautious steps back towards Astrid and the fish. Then, every so gently, with his teeth pulled in, he plucked the fish from Astrid's hand, scarfing it down in one quick gulp.

"Guess you were hungry, Toothless." She smiled again. Toothless watched her with interest, then, he proceeded to regurgitate the slimy fish head back up. Astrid cringed as he gestured to it with his head, his green eyes wide and almost friendly.

Picking up the saliva covered dead fish, she faked a smile and pretended to take a bite from it. Toothless narrowed his eyes, protesting with a gentle growl. "Okay, okay!" Astrid replied, taking a bite. It was oddly warm, the saliva burning her mouth and throat as she swallowed without chewing.

"Mmm." Astrid made a noise, trying not to vomit. Toothless cocked his head again, making her laugh. "Oh boy. You can have this back." She held it out to him. After only a moment of hesitation, he ate it again.

"I'll be sure to bring more tomorrow." She said, sitting down on a rock and picking up a stick. Toothless just sat and watched her. Astrid sketched him in the dirt. After a moment, he came over to investigate.

Ever eager to copy her it seemed, Toothless raced over to a large bush and snapped off a branch, whirling around in broad loops, dragging the branch and carving a deep line in the soil. Astrid laughed, feeling genuinely happy for the first time in days. Toothless made deep sounds in his throat, almost as if he was trying to laugh. Astrid found herself looking at his damaged tail, remembering her earlier plan. She'd drawn sketches of a new tail design for hours the night before, trying to decide on materials and size, not quite remembering the exact shape of the undamaged side.

Once Toothless came to a halt a few feet from her, she pulled out her notebook and started to draw more sketches. Seeing the papery like thickness of his intact fin, she decided that either leather or fabric would probably be the best bet, stretched taut over a lightweight metal frame.

The dragon seemed happy to lay in the last few rays of the setting sun, completely unafraid of Astrid any longer. Astrid also found herself to be quite relaxed around him too, almost enjoying his quiet, goofy company. She forgot the stress of her day, and was enjoying become fixated on this new rebuild-a-tail project.

Only when the sun set so much that she couldn't see her paper anymore, did Astrid realize that she needed to head home. Her eyes widened at the realization that she had a long walk back through the woods in the pitch dark.

When she stood up, so did Toothless. His eyes tracked her as she packed up her bag, and he followed over to the thin path out of the hole. "I have to go." She explained, then felt stupid for talking to him. "I'll be back tomorrow. With more fish." Astrid turned, but Toothless growled, a pleading sort of sound. "Oh, bud. I promise." Astrid held out her hand, but Toothless snorted and danced backwards. She offered him one more sad smile before pushing her way into the foliage.

A loud cry from the dragon brought her back though. He stood right in front of the path, pushing his head between the rocks trying to make it fit.

"Easy!" Astrid pleaded, holding her hands out to stop him. Toothless bared his teeth at her. She quickly drew back her hands. For a few moments, they stared at each other. Then, Astrid held one hand out flat, and raised it up to the height of the dragon's face. She turned her head away and waited. Astrid hoped that Toothless was just as curious about touching her as she was about him.

The seconds ticked by. Astrid began to lose hope, and was about to abandon the idea and try again another day, when she felt a gentle flow of air over her hand. Toothless moving closer. Closer and closer he edged, taking several small steps. Astrid felt his breaths on her hand as he sniffed in and out, then, resolutely, he pushed his head into the palm of her hand.

Astrid gasped and clenched her eyes shut, not wanting to startle him. Slowly turning her head around, she saw Toothless in the dim light, his eyes closed and his face so near hers. Testing her luck some, Astrid slid her hand up and down a little ways. Toothless made a sound, almost like a purr, and pushing into her. His black skin was both rough and smooth at the same time, and so unlike anything that Astrid had ever felt.

Placing her second hand on the Nightfury's face, she continued to pet him, the sound growing in his throat, and the pressure of his head in her hands increasing. Toothless pushed his head right through Astrid's hands, and headbutted her in the torso.

"Hey!" Astrid said through a laugh. He drew back and opened his eyes, then his mouth. The sound took on a new, warm pitch. "Oh boy. You want to play that game?" Toothless cocked his head as Astrid jumped at him. He leaped back, seeming genuinely startled, making Astrid laugh loudly. He teased her, and soon the two were running around the clearing, chasing each other.

Later, they collapsed against the wall, out of breath and still laughing. At least Astrid did. Toothless sat, engaged, waiting for Astrid to stand up and continue their game.

"I really do have to go, bud." Astrid said, standing up tiredly. Toothless made a concerned sound, and moved to support her with his head. "We really were all wrong about you guys." She said sadly, walking back over to the path. Toothless trailed her, making gentle noises and swaying his head back and forth.

"I have no idea what that means." Astrid ran her hands down his wide black face once more, promised him that she'd be back tomorrow, and left.

The walk home was long and dark. Astrid kept stumbling over roots and stone hidden in the darkness, and had walked through more cobwebs than she cared to remember. Her mind was consumed by her plans for starting construction on the new tailpiece, an her thoughts on how she was going to get Toothless to let her put it on him.

Finally seeing the faint glow of the fire burning in the village, Astrid was able to increase her pace across the smooth sheep pastures, scarcely occupied after the recent attack. Her feet crunched noisily in the darkness up her gravel walkway. She didn't hear someone walking up behind her.

"Where have you been?" Astrid screamed, turning around, patting her waist for her knife, only to remember she threw it into the pond.

"Shh. You'll wake everyone up!"

"Hiccup!" Astrid yelled, her face flushing with embarrassment at her childish scream. "What are you-"

"No, what are _you_ doing?" He cut her off, stepping towards her. "I've been looking for you for hours!"

" _Why?_ "

"Because you dad told me too!" He sound exasperated, as if he could understand why she wasn't in totally agreement with him.

"Oh yeah. Don't want to disappoint Stoik!" She mocked him, turning up the front steps of her house.

"You didn't answer me." He ignored her taunt.

"God, you even sound like him." She said, not turning back around.

Hiccup sighed heavily, almost a growl, making Astrid think of her Nightfury friend again. Hiccup reached out and grabbed her shoulder. Astrid tried to shrug him off, but his grip only tightened.

"Let me go." She protested quietly, but she stopped struggling in his grip.

"Where were you, Astrid? You had me worried." He voice sounded softer, but Astrid didn't believe he actually cared.

"Just for a walk." She sighed.

"An eight hour walk?" Hiccup asked suspiciously, turning her around to face him. She nodded, feeling slightly intimidated by his large frame standing over her, backlit by the moon. Hiccup frowned, then reached down and plucked a cobweb from her hair. She shrunk away from his touch.

"What, you think I'm going to hurt you?"

Astrid shrugged again. "I don't know, maybe."

Hiccup scoffed, shaking his head and taking a step back ,as if he couldn't believe Astrid. "Well, I suppose I should let you be." He said a few moments later, folding his arms across his chest, making no motion to leave.

Astrid rocked back and forth on her feet, pulling her bottom lip into her mouth and pinching it between her teeth. "Goodnight." She finally said, offering a little smile.

Hiccup only narrowed his eyes, but turned and begin to walk down her path. For a moment, Astrid hesitated, then called out after him, "Thanks!" He turned. "For worrying. It wasn't necessary, but thanks."

The silver light caught on Hiccup features, and Astrid felt her breath leave her is a rush. She had long refused to admit how good-looking the teenage viking was, resenting him for winning her father's praises over her.

Hiccup seemed at a loss for what to say, standing there, half turned around. "See you tomorrow, Astrid." He seemed to settle on, turning back on his way. The way he said her name, it felt almost an afterthought, or a sudden realization. Astrid thought, wondering if she had seen the start of a smile on his lips when he turned around so quickly. Feeling warmed, she slowly turned the handle of her door, and went inside.

***** **How Astrid Trains Your Dragon**

Waking up the next morning, Astrid went straight to work on the prosthetic tail, more than a little relieved that they didn't have dragon training today. She welded steel, stretched leather, sewed and hammered and tweaked the whole morning. Come early afternoon, she was left with an ugly, yet functional, brown leather piece that could fold in and out.

Smiling, she tucked her creation into her pack, and went down to the docks to grab some fish for Toothless. Astrid filled a large wicker basket full, hoping to keep Toothless distracted long enough to attach the tail.

On her way through town, as luck would have it, she ran across Hiccup. He was sharpening a sword with a brick, leaning casually against a pole. Astrid looked the other way and quickened her pace, hoping Hiccup wouldn't look up.

"Hey! Astrid! Where you headed?" He called out. Astrid kept going. "Astrid?" She could hear heavy footfalls on the gravel.

"What 'ya got in here?" Hiccup jostled the basket.

"Fish."

"Fish?"

"Yep." Astrid tried not to engage in conversation. Hiccup stopped following her after a few paces.

"If you want to be like that fine!" He hollered. "But if you are up to something, don't think I won't find out!" Astrid broke into a run, hoping no one heard to interaction. She felt badly for the way she ignored Hiccup. He hadn't done anything to her.

Fuming, Astrid stalked down the trail through the woods. When she got to the part where she broke off the beaten path to get ot the ravine, she paused for several moments, making sure a certain someone hadn't followed her. She felt foolish doing so afterwards. _Hiccup couldn't care less about me._

As soon as Astrid laid eyes on Toothless, she felt worlds better. She called to him, and he sprang up from where he was napping and bounded over. Whether it was because he was glad to see her, or he was hungry, she wasn't sure. Astrid guess the latter though, as he immediately started sniffing at the basket.

"Okay, okay!" She nudged him back and moved to a more open space to set up her things. Astrid set down the basket and sat on it so Toothless couldn't knock it over before she was ready. Pulling the tail piece from her bag, she opened it and flapped it around, drawing the dragon's attention.

"Like it?" She asked. Toothless sniffed it for a brief moment, but seemed uninterested. "Well alright then. I had brought you some cod, a couple haddock, and…." She rooted around in the basket to find it, "A whole smoked eel!" Astrid held up the black and yellow striped creature, causing Toothless to trip over himself in his hurry to get away. He hissed and growled in disdain, his lips pulled up and his teeth out.

"Woah!" Astrid threw the eel aside. "You don't have to have that one!" Toothless glared at her for a moment more, as if the eel was her fault. "Come eat. I know you're hungry." Astrid taunted him, shaking a different fish in front of him face. He grunted, then settled in to eat.

Astrid hurried to his tail. It took her some time to grab the swishing limb, but once she did, she flipped around and sat on it, working quickly to fasten the straps. Toothless must have finished his meal, because he stopped moving and making any noise. Astrid pulled the new tailpiece out straight, taking mental notes that it was a little too small.

Toothless made a small,excited then he was off.

"Toothless!" Astrid screamed, clinging to his tail. The dragon beat his wings furiously, causing the flap of leather to fold in on itself. Toothless cried out as they started to lose altitude. Astrid managed to reach out a hand and pull it straight, and they began to rise again. Above the ravine Toothless flew, Astrid helplessly clinging to him and holding his tail out. Her heart raced with fear, but also with the thrill of soaring just above the treetops. The black dragon made warm noises in his throat, playfully darting to and fro.

Then he must of decided that the extra weight of Astrid on his tail was cramping his style, because he swooped low, back into the ravine, flipped over, and shook until Astrid fell off, into the lake. But, with Astrid's departure, went the tail piece, and without the tailpiece, Toothless was grounded again too. He fell into the lake a few dozen feet from the girl, making a mighty splash.

Astrid struggled to the surface spluttering water. Hauling herself to shore, she watched Toothless do the same, roaring with what seemed like frustration. He ran onto the grass, shaking his head angrily and clawing at the ground, tearing up clumps of grass and making large gouges in the earth.

"Take it easy." Astrid said soothingly from where she sat in the dirt. "The first run of anything always goes poorly." Toothless cocked his head her direction, his ear flipping up and down. Astrid chuckled, laying flat on her back. Her adrenaline from the experience was starting to wear off, leaving behind a feeling of exhaustion. Toothless plodded over to her and flopped down with a defeated sigh. It was mid afternoon, the sunlight making dark shadows over most of the ravine.

"Next time." She rolled and faced him, looking into his deep, intelligent eyes. "I just need to think of something we can use to keep the tail open." Astrid yawned and shut her eyes, he mind still whirling with plans. Just as she was about to doze off, it came to her. An idea so far from anything she'd ever imagined possible, it brought a grin to her face.

She sat up and put her hand on Toothless's face. He purred, looking at her expectantly. "What would you think if I _rode_ you?"

 **AN_**

 **Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed the third installment of How Astrid Trains Your Dragon! I am having so much fun writing this story, and I am currently so motivated to do so. Your favorites and follows really give me an additional push though! :)**

 **-Birch66724**


	4. Chapter IIII

"You mean you're letting an even bigger and scarier dragon out at us today?" Snotlout asked suspiciously, his voice rising to a higher pitch halfway through the question.

"Oh yeah!" Ruffnut shouted.

"Totally sick!" Tuffnut replied, and headbutted his sister. "You probably just can't handle it!"

"Alright! That's enough!" Gobber called out, waving his hook hand in the air. "Grab yourself a bucket!" Astrid swallowed thickly, her chest feeling tight with scared anticipation. It had been announced that they would be encountering a Zippleback today at training, and she was less than thrilled.

Watching the varied reactions of her fellow recruits calmed her slightly though. Fishlegs was literally trembling, the twins seemed ecstatic, Snotlout was very hesitant, torn between wanting to seem tough and wanting to save his own life, and then there was Hiccup. _It always comes down to Hiccup._ Astrid thought ruefully. He stood, bucket in hand, quiet determination on his face. He had been ignoring her today, but she deserved after how she treated him yesterday.

Astrid felt as if she could hardly hold up the sloshing pail of water, much less throw it full force in a Zippleback's face. Or faces.

"Ready kids?" Gobber asked, his hand poised over the lever of the gate.

"No!" Snoutlout cracked, putting down his bucket and throwing his hands in the air. "Gobber! This is crazy! How are we supposed to defend ourselves with pails of _water?"_ Glancing around and finding no one to back up his argument, he laughed nervously. "Am I right, guys? At least give us a knife or something!"

More nervous laughter, and Astrid caught a smirk from Hiccup out of the corner of her eye. Then, the gate was lifted, and green fog filled the arena. Gobber called out instructions about finding the right head, not wasting your shot. Astrid ignored it, instead trying to focus on following Hiccup. She figured he wouldn't let her die at least. Glancing over her shoulder to check for a Zippleback head, Astrid lost sight of him in the thick opaque gas. She cursed, then stood in place, spinning around and around, her eyes darting wildly.

Ruffnut came into view. Although the two girls had never really talked, the went back to back and keep circling, watching cautiously.

"Now!" She heard someone yell, and she was splashed with water. Ruffnut took the brunt of it though, and the girl not pleased.

"What in Thor, Tuffnut!"

"Sorry, I thought you were the dragon, sis!" He protested, laughing maniacally. Ruffnut proceeded to throw her water on her brother, and the two twins started to fight and argue. Astrid groaned, walking away on her own. She heard another incident happen just ahead a few seconds later.

Snoutlout had thrown his water at the wrong head, then Fishlegs had slipped in said water, dropping his pail, and then Hiccup had tripped over Fishlegs. Astrid heart stopped when she realized that left her as the only with a pail left.

All of the other recruits gathered behind her, concerned looks darting in their eyes. Both of the heads came into view, swishing back and forth like provoked serpents, growling. One lit sparks in its mouth, the other oozed green gas.

"Now Astrid!" Gobber called out, and Astrid launched her water at the sparking face.

The water fell to the ground with a slap, falling miserably short of the intended target. The two heads looked at each other, a sort of understanding passing between them. They snaked closer to the group of gathered Vikings, gas bubbling out, and sparks welling up, ready to blow the arena to rubble.

"Run!" Gobber called, but before anyone could, Astrid pulled out her secret weapon. The smoked eel. She'd tucked into the inside pocket of her jacket that morning, hoping to avoid exactly this situation.

Holding the slimy fish out front of the dragon, she urged it back. The Zippleback's response was immediate. It recoiled instantly, just as Toothless had done. The thick green fog hid the eel from the others.

"Easy now!" Astrid said, walking forward and the two headed beast walked back. "Get back into that cage. And think about what you've done." She added, tossing the eel onto the stone floor and slamming down the door once the Zippleback was inside.

Wiping her hands on her pants, she turned around and was met with six stunned faces.

"How did you…?" Hiccup started, but his sentence dropped off. Even smart mouth Snotlout seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Are we done for today? I've got stuff to work on." Astrid asked, making for the exit. All she got for an answer was a single nod from Gobber.

Once outside, Astrid leaned her back against the wall and took several deep breaths. Once she'd calmed herself down a touch, she hurried to her workshop. She had a saddle to make and a tail to redesign.

* ******HOW ASTRID TRAINS YOUR DRAGON*******

Her fear from this morning was easily channeled into a hard afternoon's work. Astrid pounded, cut, stitched and measured lengths of leather, taking care to leave extra to elongate the straps if need be. Astrid only took a break to light a lantern in the corner so she could see her saddle.

Once finished, she was left with a sturdy, eight shaped apparatus, wider in the back than the front, and slightly curved to fit the Nightfury's back. She admired the neat lines of stitching, and the smooth look and feel of the leather after she had polished it. Astrid wanted to show it off, but knew she couldn't. How on Earth could she tell anybody that she had made a _saddle_ for a _dragon?_ They'd think she lost her head.

Astrid laughed as she thought of the reaction her father might have, seeing what she had done, and what she was planning to do. _Am I crazy?_ She wondered then, questioning herself. _Can I ride a Nightfury?_

"Astrid?" She heard a call from outside her house. She groaned, realizing it was Hiccup. She stood and walked over to her window, looking down to see the young man standing there with a lantern in hand. Her heart beat faster as she realized how attractive he was. She'd always know really, but had never let herself think of it. But, standing here now, seeing him, standing there for her, her mind ran wild.

Astrid opened the door, blushing. "What have you been doing all day?" Hiccup asked gruffly, stomping up to her. Astrid stayed in the doorway, half in half out of the house.

"Excuse me?" She asked, her warm feeling quickly becoming replaced with irritation. _Who did Hiccup think he was?_

"You heard me. You haven't left the house all day."

"You've been watching me _all day?"_ Astrid glared at him.

"Yeah." Hiccup's eyes widened. "No! I mean, I've been checking by, I just wanted to talk to you about today." Then he returned her glare.

Astrid stepped outside and pulled the door shut behind her, sitting down tiredly on the front step. "What about it?" She already knew, but part of her wanted to hear Hiccup's impressed words.

"What you did today. With the Zippleback." He added as if she didn't remember. "It was… cool." He came and sat next to her, placing the lantern on the step between them.

Astrid smirked. That was almost more of a compliment than she had expected from the dragon-slaying prodigy. "Thanks."

"How did you-" He cleared his throat, turning towards Astrid, placing on hand behind him and leaning on it. "How did you do it?"

Then Astrid realized he must not have seen the eel. She looked up at his dark green eyes, flickering in the lantern-light, her mind whirling with what to say. She could tell him the truth, but then he'd ask questions about where she'd learned the trick, questions she couldn't answer.

"I guess it was just scared of me." She settled on, realizing how stupid it sounded too late.

Hiccup made a confused face. "Scared? Of _you?"_ He said incredulously.

"Hey!" Astrid shouted. Smacking him on the shoulder. He laughed. The first genuine laugh Astrid had caused from him. She liked the sound of it. Dark, heavy and warm. Like rough waves crashing over rocks, and crackling firewood and warm summer wind.

"I'm kidding." He said, smiling down at her. She returned the smile and shook her head, turning away from him, looking up at the sky. She felt a pang for Toothless, guilty that is was her fault her wasn't soaring across the night sky right now.

"What's wrong?" Hiccup asked.

"Huh?" Astrid asked started from her thoughts.

"Is something wrong? Your face, it, changed. Or something."

"Oh. Just, thinking about someone."

"Someone?" Hiccup asked, a little too loudly.

Astrid cursed herself, biting her cheek. "Yes-" _Think, think._ "Just my dad. I worry about him out there. All of them that went." In reality, thoughts of her dad had rarely crossed Astrid's mind in the last few days. Realizing that, she felt awful.

"Yeah." Hiccup said slowly. They two sat in silence for long minutes, looking out at the stars, the town, the sea.

Then Astrid's stomach rumbled. Hiccup laughed. Embarrassed, Astrid said, "I haven't eaten all day."

"You've been that busy?" They looked at each other again. Astrid shrugged, a small grin flitting across her mouth. "I don't think I'd survive a day without food." Hiccup stretched his hands over his head, groaning. Astrid laughed.

"I should go find something to eat." She mumbled, standing up quickly when Hiccup's extended arm brushed over her back.

"I leave you to it." He said.

"Goodnight!" Astrid called, opening the door.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Hiccup says quickly, before Astrid closed the door completely. "Gobber says we'll have class in the afternoon instead of the morning tomorrow."

"Oh okay. See you then!" Astrid closed the door before Hiccup could reply, realising she could try out the saddle earlier than she had hoped. She hurried to pack up her bag, setting it by the door, ready to set out at first light.

 **AN_**

 **Hello! I am sooo thankful for all of the views and follows and alerts! I never imagined this story would garner so much interest, I only started writing it last week because I was bored.**

 **This chapter is a bit shorter, so my apologies, but the next scene didn't really fit. :( But, I have many more chapters to come. I am thinking around 20-25 for the full fic based on where I am at now in the writing. (I don't really plan things out too well.)**

 **But thanks again everyone, and Happy Reading!**

 **-Birch66724**


	5. Chapter V

"Toothless!" Astrid called out, struggling to tug the large basket of fish through the small gap, her shoulders aching from the heavy basket and pack. The black dragon bounded over from where he had been dozing in the early morning sun.

He made low noises in his throat, sounding pleased with his mouth agape, teeth retracted.

"I've got some things for you, bud." Astrid said excitedly, dropping her load with a solid thump on the hard packed earth. Toothless watched curiously as Astrid laid out the saddle and all of its accompanying straps. She explained it to the dragon with soft words and she worked, kneeling in the dirt.

"Let me just set it on your back. See how it feels." She suggested, holding up the largest piece of leather. Toothless's ears flattened and he danced back.

"Toothless!" Astrid scolded. "I won't feed you until you've tried it on." The Nightfury growled, not bad temperedly, just to let Astrid know he wasn't pleased.

"I know." Astrid murmured. "But if you want to fly again, this is how." Toothless cocked his head, but still evaded Astrid's attempts to saddle him. Soon, Astrid was full on chasing the dragon around the clearing, while he warbled deep in his throat and taunted her.

Out of breath and ready to concede, Astrid defeatedly slumped against a large rock, closed her eyes and leaned back her head. Moments later, a large head dropped onto her lap, and an apologetic Nightfury was purring up at her.

Astrid smiled, standing back up. "You finally ready, bud?" Toothless shuffled his feet uncertainty, but seemed willing now. He trailed Astrid as she walked back over to wear all of the straps were laid out.

"Perfect fit!" Astrid crooned, settling the saddle on Toothless's broad shoulders. She'd accounted for the curvature of his spine just right. Toothless shook slightly, but didn't seem to mind all that much. Astrid feed him a fish.

Toothless stood like a champ as Astrid tugged and adjusted strap after strap, not even growling when she pulled out a knife to cut off some excess leather.

Soon the basket of fish was gone, and Toothless was wearing a fully functional saddle. Astrid stood back and admired her handy work, and Toothless tested it out. He ran around the clearing flapping his wings and shook his legs. Astrid giggled at his goofy antics, noting that it fit a little tight between his front legs.

He didn't seem to mind though, rounding on Astrid with a new light in his eyes that she had never seen before. "Ready to hit the skies, bud?" Astrid asked joyously, laughing as Toothless exaggeratedly nodded his head.

After a cautiously mounting the dragon, he took her on a few walks around, getting used to Astrid's weight on his back. Not that it would be a problem for him or anything. He was massive, and massively powerful, and, as much as Astrid didn't like to admit it, she was somewhat lacking in the size and muscle category.

"Ready?" Astrid asked him, fitting her feet into the rocking pedals she had made to adjust the stretch of the tail flap. Toothless roared loudly, bucking up slightly. "Okay, bud!" Astrid yelled. "Whenever you're ready!" She was nervous. What if Toothless decided that he didn't like her on his back? He could easily remover her.

Toothless took off, running a few steps, then launched himself into the air, flapping his wings strongly. Astrid's heart raced and Toothless's excitement buzzed in the air around them.

The flight was short lived though. The came roughly back to the ground before they even made it halfway up the wall.

"Sorry!" Astrid called. "That was all my fault! You did great bud!" She scratch behind his ears. It was an interesting perspective to see the dragon from his back. He grunted and shook his head.

"Let's try this again."

But, after two more attempts, both ending similarly to the first, both individuals were getting frustrated. Toothless groaned, agaitedly pacing as Astrid struggled to figure out what was going wrong.

"I'm sorry, Toothless." Astrid murmured, patting the dragon's head. Her mind raced as she double checked that the pedal was working correctly, thinking of ways to make this go better.

Then she got it. "I'm not changing it soon enough!" She cried out. Toothless turned back to look at her, his eyes narrowed questioningly. "You would have been able to get out of this hole yourself. Thor, I'm daft sometimes." Astrid centered herself in the saddle once more.

"This time we'll get it." She said confidently. Toothless seemed less certain, but Astrid could tell he was itching to stretch his wings.

"It's okay." Astrid said soothingly. "If this doesn't work out, we'll be done for today." Toothless grunted an agreement, preparing to take off for a fourth time.

"Ready when you are!" Astrid called, clutching the lip of the saddle, positioning her foot over the pedal. Toothless leapt into the air, this time quickly rising over the wall, over the treetops.

"Yes!" Astrid howled to the wind. "It worked!" Toothless roared excitedly and beat his wings faster. Then they started to drop. The treetops came closer and closer, and Toothless startled.

"Hang on…" Astrid bit her cheek, forcing the pedal down farther and the fin out wider. Toothless rose again, the mid morning sun glinting off his wings.

Astrid grinned, the feeling of flight sending her heart soaring. Toothless was ecstatic. Hie tongue lolled from his mouth, his eyes closed to the wind, rejoicing in his returning sense of freedom. The wind through Astrid's hair and the ground racing below… It was incredible. She let go of her death grip on the saddle and opened her hands to feel the wind rush through her fingers.

They left the forest, gliding high above the sea now. The sun sparkled off the wave tips like jewels, and Astrid was amazed by the beauty. She leaned down and wrapped her arms around Toothless's neck. He seemed surprised by the gesture, but purred into her hands at his throat.

"Thank you." She whispered. "For opening up this whole new world to me." Toothless responded by shooting a plasma blast out in front of him. The ball of hot destruction exploded a mile ahead of them in a dazzling flash of blue and purple. Astrid gasped, the force of the blast wrenching Toothless's whole body, heat radiating up from his back into her legs.

"You really are something." She breathed, suddenly feeling small atop the back of this mighty beast. He could flip over and dismount her any moment, leaving her to drown. She wondered if he didn't because he would also drown without her, or if he actually accepted her.

Astrid realized it must be the latter, because Toothless had had many a chance to kill her, and had never attempted it. She felt privileged then, and a thrill went through her when she realized she was the first person to ever ride a dragon.

She let out a whoop, pumping her fistd in the air and yell into the sky. Toothless joined in her celebration, turning in a wide loop and heading back towards Berk, roaring and shooting off another blast.

"You really are amazing. We have been so wrong about you for so long." Astrid said sadly then, stroking her hands over the little flaps below Toothless's ears. He purred softly, as if he understood her sadness.

Awhile later, as Toothless was making his slow descent back to the earth, Astrid couldn't get the fin to collapse back down, instead, she sent it out wider.

"No, no, no, no!" She cried, reaching down with her hand, wrenching on the pedal to no avail. The ground was coming closer and closer, and Toothless wasn't helping. He flapped his wings wildly, roaring loudly and churning his legs.

"Prepare to crash." Astrid said miserably, bracing herself. They, thankfully, slid to a halt in a large field with waist high grasses. Astrid was thrown roughly from Toothless's back, rolling head over heals through the grass.

Sitting up and wiping dirt from her face, Astrid could hear Toothless making a sound that she'd never heard before.

"Toothless?" She cried, hurrying to her feet and running over to the dragon, sprawled in the grass several dozen feet away. Praying that he wasn't hurt, she parted the tall grass with her hands.

"What on Earth…" She said aloud, watching with confusion, and more than a relief. The huge black dragon was rolling around in the grass like a small child, a low sound vibration from deep in his chest different from the purr he made.

He rubbed his face through the grass, an expression only described as bliss portrayed on his broad flat face. Astrid began to laugh as she watched him, sweeping his tail back and forth, flattening a large swath of grass and wiggling forward on his back.

Astrid gathered up several handfuls of the stuff, wondering if she could pull another one of her tricks in the arena.

 _The arena._

"Toothless!" Astrid glanced at the sun. It was already edging past the middle of the sky. "I'm going to be so late!" Astrid tugged the massive dragon from the grass and urged him into the air. He grumbled, but flew steadily, seemingly happy to obey Astrid's commands.

She couldn't be pleased about this though, already dreading the questions Hiccup would pepper he with. Her gut twisted when she wondered how much longer she could keep this a secret.

 ******* How Astrid Trains Your Dragon*******

"Astrid! Nice of you to join us!" Gobber called out, causing all of the other recruits heads to turn and stare at her. The twins snickered with some joke only the two of them could understand, Fishlegs gave a small wave, Snotlout rolled his eyes and grumbled something, and Hiccup just glared at her.

Astrid hung her head and she hurried over to the group, muttering an apology. She looked around the arena, which was laid out in a wooded maze pattern. The walls were high, maybe 15 feet, sharpened on the ends.

"Where were you?" Hiccup hissed at her. Astrid glanced up, but was spared from having to speak when Gobber started in on his topic for the day. The Deadly Nadder. With it's razer sharps tail spines that it could shoot at any moment, and its ability to throw fire from its mouth, it was a formidable enemy to any Viking. Gobber elaborated about its hearing and vision abilities, its blind spots, and it weaknesses.

The he shouted, "A shield is the most important tool a Viking can carry! Hope you can find one in the maze!" With that and a wave of his hook, everyone took off into the wooden walls and Gobber went over to open the cage and release the Nadder.

"Where were you?" Hiccup asked again, slowing his pace to run beside Astrid.

"I just lost track of time." She stated flatly, taking a turn and leaving Hiccup's side, perhaps leaving the safety he offered, but Astrid wasn't interested in his questioning right now.

Astrid could hear the Deadly Nadder then. It screeched something fierce and its huge claws gouged the wood with loud groans. She looked around for it, but instead spotted a small group of people watching the Training from the safety of the outside, behind the iron net that enclosed it.

"Watch out!" One of the twins yelled. Flames licked up one of the far walls. Astrid turned another corner and breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted a brown wooden shield. Picking it up, she spotted Snotlout racing towards her from the opposite direction, the Nadder hopping nimbly from wall to wall behind him, roaring.

Snotlout hollered, and Astrid took off running back the way she came. "Go go!" The black haired boy yelled, letting out another alarmed scream when the Nadder shot its spines at the two recruits. Astrid noticed that three spines stuck into the shield she'd picked up, and thanked Thor she'd had it in the right place at the right time.

Rounding another corner, they came upon Hiccup and FIshlegs. The two boys spotted the Nadder in hot pursuit, and reversed direction. All four of them sprinted down a long corridor, praying the dragon was also holding its breath.

Suddenly, Hiccup banked to the left, tugging Astrid with him by the elbow. The pair stumbled and rolled across the dust for several moments before coming the a halt in a tangled pile. The shield had smacked Astrid in the left arm when she fell, leaving a red dripping gash.

"Where did it go?" Hiccup asked, sitting up and shaking his head.

"It followed Fishlegs and Snotlout." Astrid answered, turning her head to watch the huge blue and white dragon leap across another wall.

"Thank Thor." Hiccup breathed, rising to his feet. "I haven't got a shield yet." Astrid stood too, sweeping dirt from her shirt. "Hey! There's one!"

"No way!" Astrid shouted, chasing Hiccup. "That one's mine!"

"C'mon. You can't even lift this thing!" He jeered, scooping up the shield and holding in front of him.

"Then how do explain the spines already in it?" She challenged, stomping up to him.

Hiccup frowned, then shrugged. "Sorry, Astrid. Better luck next time." Then he was gone.

Astrid chased after him for a few paces, then grit her teeth, kicking out at the wall in frustration. "Ouch!" She cried out, stubbing her toe on the wood.

The afternoon sun glinted down harshly, and her joyous morning seemed worlds away. The Nadder sreached, the crackling fire seemed closer and louder, and Fishlegs was hollering. A wall toppled over somewhere. Astrid spooked and started to run, unarmed and unprotected.

The maze took her in an unexpected, unintended way. The wall blocked her escape to the left, and fire from behind forced her farther forward, closer to the dragon.

"Turn back!" Ruffnut was yelling from in front of her.

"You can't!" There's fire!" Astrid started to yelled back, rounding the corner to the other recruits. The Nadder was perched right above her bearing down with its beady eyes. The twins were nowhere in sight.

"Oh no. Oh no." Astrid muttered to herself, taking slow steps back until the heat from the flames singed the hairs on the back of her neck. The blue dragon screeched and leapt off the wall, clouds of dust rising up from the impact of its scaly feet. The Nadder took deliberate steps forward, trapping Astrid with her back to the flames.

Suddenly, it charged, its mouth open, swinging it tail, tipping over the remaining walls with a domino effect, when Astrid remembered. _The grass!_ Reaching into her pocket, she tugged out a handful of the green fronds, thrusting out her hand to the Nadder's face.

The last wall tipped with a loud resounding crack, and all of the recruits were exposed, able to see Astrid as she pet the Deadly Nadder, the dragon that had been trying to kill them moments before.

Astrid squeezed her eyes shut as the dragon reached her. Then its rough face was in her hands, and a purring sound was emitting from its throat. The sound was not unlike Toothless's, but it was higher pitched.

"Easy now, girl," Astrid said breathily, running one hand up the dragon's nose, one under its chin. Astrid didn't know when she decided that the Nadder was a girl, it just felt right.

The blue dragon continued to press her face into Astrid, purring and rubbing at the handful of grass. Astrid laughed a little, turning to see her fellow classmates. Some were appalled, some nonchalant, and Hiccup looked furious. The young man stood, axe raised above his head, not ten feet from her and her new found friend.

Astrid looked away, leading the Nadder back to her cage. The dragon helped Astrid over a pile of flaming logs, and even went so far as to lick Astrid's arm. She laughed loudly then, scratching under her chin once they were out of sight in the cage.

"I'm sorry you live like this." Astrid whispered into the dragon's face. "Someday I'll get you out." She pushed back, holding the Deadly Nadder's face at arm's length and looking into her eyes. "I promise."

Exiting the cage and closing the door, Astrid was swarmed by Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, and Gobber. Astrid tried to dodged their questions with vague answers.

"I don't know how I did it." Astrid insisted, pushing everyone back. "She must have just liked me." Astrid smiled and glanced up to she Hiccup throw his shield, correction, _her shield,_ in frustration and storm out of the arena. Snotlout looked preoccupied frowning and scratching his head at his melted sword.

"I have to go." Astrid said for what seemed like the tenth time. "When's practice tomorrow?" She asked Gobber.

"Same time." The man replied. " If I can get this disaster sorted, that is."

"Okay then! See you tomorrow, Gobber!" Astrid said brightly, leaving the arena at a sprint.

"That is, unless you want to help me lass?" Gobber called after her. Astrid didn't respond. She wanted to catch up to Hiccup, but she didn't know why.

 **AN_**

 **Here's a bit of a longer one for you lads. :)**

 **I can't believe how many people have followed the story, so thank you so much! And, I've gotten a couple of reviews now, and I love those, so thanks for leaving them!**

 **-Birch66724**


	6. Chapter VI

Racing out onto the cobblestone street, Astrid glanced around for the brooding boy. Small birds chirped from the peak of a roof nearby, and somewhere a sheep bleated, but other then that, it was silent. _Probably scared everyone from this part of town with that ridiculous training._ Astrid thought angrily.

"Hiccup!" She yelled, jogging up the slight incline of the town, back towards her house and the woods. She glanced down roads, behind sheds and bushes, but found Hiccup nowhere. The longer she looked the more angry she got, and the more angry she got, the more she got upset at the fact that she didn't know why she was angry.

By the time Astrid reached her house, all the way on the other side of the village, she was clenching her jaw so tight she was surprised that her teeth weren't cracking, and her fingernails had long since gouged marks into her palms.

Slinging her bag of tools over her shoulder, Astrid stormed off. Down the path that was forming through the brush from her trips out to see Toothless. She kicked impatiently at ferns that drooped in her way, swatting wildly at buzzing flies. Astrid head began to ache from her tightened jaw, and her lungs burned from her unwillingness to take a deep breath and calm down.

Only when a rustling behind her caught her attention, did she stop. Astrid whipped around, thinking of only person who would be following her.

"Hiccup! I swear to Thor-" Astrid stomped back to the place the noise came from. A rabbit startled from the brush, leaping away in fright.

Astrid pushed the heels of her hands into her eyes until abstract stars spun in the blackness. "I am going _insane."_ She seethed, walking in a wide loop around the area.

Even once she determined that no one was near her, Astrid couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. She looked up into branches of trees, kicked at thickets, and scared up numerous animals and birds. Eventually, she settled on taking a different, longer route to the ravine. She would take no risks in having Toothless discovered.

Pushing through the rock walls the edged the small trail down, Astrid put a hand above her eyes to block the bright mid afternoon sun.

Toothless bounded up to her, and for the first time in an hour, Astrid relaxed. Even though she had only befriended him a few days ago, his presence was a familiar safe haven for her.

"Hey. bud." She said affectionately, leaning her whole body on the dragon's wide head, reaching one hand under to scratch beneath his jaw, the other behind one of his ears. Toothless's purr quickly became a different pitch, and he flopped heavily to the ground.

"Toothless!" Astrid cried, jumping back, panicked. Her nerves were quickly soothed when Toothless cracked open one splendid green eye, making a warbling sound deep in his chest.

"You liked that, huh?" Astrid laughed, putting her hands in the same position and doing it again. Sure enough, the black dragon collapsed even deeper into the Earth.

"Oh. You are such a sweetheart." Astrid crooned, falling to her knees and sitting back on her heels. Toothless wormed forward on his belly, forcing his head into her lap for more petting. Astrid relaxed her forehead down onto his, breathing his rich, earthy scent.

A little while later, Astrid stood up, and Toothless followed suite. She ran her hands along the leather straps, making tweaks where she remembered they were needed. On the long strap that ran from the foot pedal beneath the saddle to the tail piece, Astrid tightened it up, making it more sensitive.

One of the rods in the actual tail was bent at an awkward angle. Astrid frowned at it, realizing she didn't have the tools with her to fix it.

"Sorry, bud." She said, trailing her hand up along Toothless's flank. "No more flying tonight." The dragon cocked his head, turning his head and sniffing at the apparatus. He seemed to understand. Astrid loved the intelligent warmth in his eyes, feeling a pang of guilt when she remembered she was the one who had maimed him in the first place.

"Besides, I think I have a better design for the tail anyway. But, " She looked at him, he warbled, sensing her excitement. "That doesn't mean we can't practice moving the one you have now."

Toothless grunted as Astrid hopped up into the saddle. "Between you and me, I could do with a little more practice on the ground." The dragon guffawed, taking off at a brisk jog with his wings outstretched.

Astrid kicked down the pedal, sending to tail out flat. Toothless growled and shook his head, swinging his tail up, gesturing to the uninjured side as he flapped it in at out.

"Oh! Of course!" Astrid chuckled. "You're too smart for me, Toothless." He rolled his emerald eyes, jogging off again. When he made a little hop, as if to suggest rising up, Astrid glanced back, winding the pedal until the two side of his tail matched. Toothless purred in approval, running through the edge of the pond and splashing them both with cool water.

"You little-!" Astrid tried to scold, but she was laughing too hard. Toothless chortled in the back of his throat, making Astrid laugh harder.

The pair ran around, practicing and goofing around until dusk. Astrid took off all of Toothless's gear, rubbing his back where the saddle had been before folding it all up neatly and placing in under a cleft in the rocl to keep it safe and dry.

Astrid kissed him on the nose, and Toothless licked her whole body before leaving with promises of more fish and a new tailpiece tomorrow.

Astrid walked along at a clip, hunger driving her quicker over the field, the setting sun painting the western sky orange, setting the clouds aflame in a gentle pink.

She was humming an old nursery rhyme her mother used to sing to her sister when she pushed open the door to her house. She didn't notice the figure in her kitchen until after she had dumped her heavy bag and bent down to untie her boots.

Rounding the corner, still humming, Astrid screamed. Backpedaling, she slammed into the wall, reaching up for the antique axe hung there.

"Woah, Astrid!" Hiccup held up both hands.

"What are you doing in my house?!" Astrid yelped breathlessly, pressing her hands to her chest, feeling her heart racing beneath.

Hiccup shrugged nonchalantly, leaning back against the table and crossing his arms over his stomach. "I was tired of waiting for you outside, so I let myself in."

"That's," Astrid said, shaking her head in disbelief. "You can't do that!" She cried, throwing up her hands and glaring at him. He had lit the stove in the corner, dipping the room into golden firelight. Shadows danced on the far wall and Astrid noticed a pot on the stove.

"Well, I did." Hiccup said flatly, noticing her noticing. "And I made you supper, so before you go and throw me out, eat." Hiccup pulled out a chair for her. Astrid glared at him for a moment longer, then conceded, sitting down and allowing Hiccup to dish up two bowls of steaming stew.

"I still can't believe you are in my house." Astrid shook her head, tracing one finger along a crack in the table.

The young man just shrugged, sliding on bowl across the table for her and sitting down. "This is my mother's recipe." He said slowly. "Cod-" He paused, a frown tugging at his lips. Astrid raised her brows at his. "Cod uh…"

"Cod stew?" Astrid suggested.

"Yeah! That."

Astrid rolled her eyes lightheartedly, taking a scoop with her spoon and blowing on it. She stared at Hiccup and he shoveled a bite into his mouth, burning his mouth and sticking out his tongue.

"A little hot?" Astrid smirked.

"Uh-huh." He said, his tongue still sticking out, warping his words, Astrid laughed, getting up to fetch him a mug of water. He quickly gulped down the drink, breathing heavily.

"Ah, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, best dragon slayer to step foot on these fair shores, bested by a bowl of stew." Astrid mocked through a grin, refilling the mug.

Hiccup was grinning too when she sat back down. "You got me there, Hofferson."

Astrid rolled her eyes, taking her first bite. The stew was not only hot in temperature, but it was spicy. It burned her tongue and lips and soon as it touched them.

"Hiccup!" She cried, pushing back from the table. "What is _in_ this?" She hurried to the well pump, drawing herself a mug full of cool fresh water.

The boy at the table started to cough. "I don't know! Do I look like a know how to cook?" He yelled, joining her to draw himself up more water.

After several minutes and half dozen mugs of water, the both leaned back, breathing heavily, mouths still tingling.

"Thor!" Astrid exclaimed. "Taste's like you put a whole Death Pepper in that!"

"I _did."_ Hiccup said innocently.

"Why?" Astrid cried, shaking him by the shoulders. "Are you insane? Or just trying to kill me?"

"That's what the recipe said!" He insisted, fetching the tattered card from the counter, thrusting it at her for proof.

"That doesn't say Death Pepper, that says Black Pepper. Those are two _very_ different things!"

"Oh." Hiccup said softly. "Got any other food?" He looked up at her through thick eyelashes.

Astrid rolled her eyes. "We'll find something." She muttered, opening a cabinet. "Go do something with that stew, would you?" She gestured to the pot. "It's making my eyes burn just being in here."

"As you wish, Mi'lady." He said sarcastically, bowing.

"Oh, you little rat!" Astrid said giggling. Hiccup looked up at her with a lopsided grin, his eyes flashing. A moment came and was gone between them, Astrid turned around quickly, feeling heat rise behind her cheeks as she dug through the cupboard. She held her breath until she heard the door open and shut, then turned around and let out a heavy breath, shaking her head.

Why were things night and day with Hiccup? He was so mad this afternoon, now he was joking around, laughing in her kitchen and cooking her dinner. Well, trying to cook her dinner. She smiled ruefully at the disaster of the stew.

"This is all I've got." Astrid made a face, holding up a crusty loaf of bread and block of goat cheese. Hiccup didn't reply as he moved to the well pulp to with the pot.

"But," Astrid said brightly, "Don't you worry. I know just how to make this delicious." Hiccup turned and raised an eyebrow skeptically. Astrid stuck her tongue out at him, slicing the loaf in half. Hiccup dried and put the pot away as Astrid smeared the cheese on the bread, then placed on a rack just above the open flames of the stove.

"Where were you?" Hiccup asked, as had become his typical question upon meeting Astrid, as they waited for the cheese to melt. "Your hair looks a little, _windblown."_

The word made Astrid's throat tighten up. _Was he hinting at something?"_ She thought, deciding to play as if she didn't know what he was talking about.

"Huh. Must have been walking fast." Astrid said breezily, untying the leather strip that held the end of her braid, combing her hands through her kinky hair. Hiccup watched her intently.

"What?" She asked gently, braiding her hair back up and sliding her headpiece into it's place.

"I've just- never seen you without you hair back." He says, the corners of eyes pinched slightly.

"I guess that's because I never go out without it braided."

"Okay, smart mouth." Hiccup chuckled. Astrid pulled the cheesy bread from the fire. They sat on the floor in silence and ate it.

"Why were you-" Astrid starts before thinking out what she is about to say.

"Why was I what?" His tone told Astrid that he already knows what she wanted to ask.

"Why were you so upset after practice today?" She asked quietly. They sit side by side, so at least she doesn't have to look into his eyes when she asks the question.

It's a long time before Hiccup answers. He shuffles his feet, kicking them out in front of himself and crossing then at the ankles. "I guess I was jealous."

The answer surprised Astrid. "Jealous? Of _me?"_

"Yeah."

"But, you're already so, so…" The words never leave Astrid's tongue. _So good, so perfect._

"That's what everyone thinks." Hiccup says, almost sounding irritated. "Truth is, the Monstrous Nightmare I killed, the one that impressed everyone so much… It was practically dead when I found it. All I did was slide the knife across it's throat."

Astrid said nothing, his story narrowing her eyes.

"I told everyone that it was so much more than it was… And now… I can't back any of it up." His voice sounds raw, and Astrid saw a side of Hiccup that she never had before, that no one had ever seen before.

She didn't have anything to say. What could she say? They sit in silence, the fire casting unpredictable shadows over their legs.

"Well, if you must know, I get all of my impeccable skills from dumb luck."

"Oh please." Hiccup says. "No one can get that good in a couple of days. And, you don't even use weapons!" He states, bracing himself with one hand and gesturing with the other as he describes the scenes of the last couple of days in ten times more grandeur and glory then they actually were. Astrid can see how could have easily convinced people of his version of the Monstrous Nightmare story.

Leaning back and shaking her head, Astrid says, "You'll be such a good elder."

"What?"

"You are such a good storyteller." She smiles. "You want to know how it actually happened?" She sits up, looking at Hiccup's expression. "I almost pissed myself I was so scared."

Hiccup falls back laughing. Astrid joins in, closing her eyes and enjoying the sound of his laugh.

"Oh, Astrid." He breathes. "I can't believe I used to think of you as stuck up. You're hilarious."

Astrid smile vanishes. "You used to think of me as _what?"_ She asks quietly, not able to keep the hurt from her voice. Hiccup stops laughing too, realizing what he said.

"Oh no, " He says quickly, backing up, trying to recover from his slip up. " I didn't mean it like that."

"How did you mean it then?" Astrid asks, her voice steely. She watches Hiccup swallow, his mind whirling, trying to come up with something. Astrid pushes to her feet.

"Wait! Astrid!" Hiccup scrambles up behind her. "I don't think of you as stuck up now! Just when we were younger. You'd never like, come play with the other kids. We just thought that because, you know, you were the Chief's daughter, you thought you were better than us."

His explanation only made her feel worse. She took in a shaky breath, poised at the bottom of the staircase. "Just go, Hiccup. You obviously know where the door is."

"But…" Now he sounded hurt, confused. Astrid stood at the top of the steps until the front door opened. Then closed.

 **AN_**

 **Dang, that's rough. They were getting on so well for a minute there.**

 **Haha. Well, how are you liking the story so far? Is the tempo good, is it moving too fast? I don't know. But, if you do, feel free to leave a review and let me know...? Lol. I don't like to ask for reviews, but I guess I just did.**

 **-Birch66724**


	7. Chapter VII

The next day at Dragon Training, it was all sidelong glances and cautious side steps from Hiccup. Astrid swallowed guiltily, doing her best to ignore him. She must not have been doing a very good job though, because the twins were whispering, and Snotlout was making a joke.

"Hey, what's gotten into you two? Did someone-"

Hiccup cut off the boy with a raised a fist and a glare. Snotlout held up his hands, shaking his head. Hiccup's glare slid to the wall, and Snotlout snickered with Tuffnut.

"Alright, lads!" Gobber called out. "We're going back at it with the Deadly Nadder!"

"Really?"

"C'mon! Are you trying to get us _killed?"_

"Quiet up! After yesterday, I think you you lot didn't get the whole blindspot idea."

Gobber walked up the tunnel a ways, returning dragging a half dozen shields. "Here ya go!"

Everyone raced at them, fighting over the best ones. Astrid hung back, satisfied to just take whichever remained. Hiccup carried two over. Astrid was filled with dread as she saw the boy walking towards her.

"Here." He said flatly, handing her the better of the two he held.

"Thanks." Astrid breathed, accepting it with a small nod.

"Don't we get any weapons?" Ruffnut shouted.

"Not now!" Gobber tossed open the door, and out rushed lovely Miss Nadder, 10 times madder than yesterday. She shrieked, racing across the arena with her wings outstretched and her head held low, ready to attack. Fishlegs howled in fright and cowered behind his shield as the Nadder blasted him with a shot.

"Move your feet!" Gobber hollered.

"Woah!" Snotlout shouted, jumping over the dragon's swinging tail. She turned her head to him, her nose not more than an inch from the boy, and yet, she didn't seem to see him.

The looked on Snotlout's face had Astrid stifling a laugh, he was standing, leaning backwards, eyes wide, mouth open, nostrils flared.

"Now you've found the blind spot!" Gobber yelled encouragingly. "Use it to your advantage!"

Hiccup raced forward, swinging his shield and connecting it solidly with the Nadder's leg. Astrid flinched as she screamed, flapping up into the air several feet, until her head bumped into the net caging in the space. She shot a blast through it to no avail.

Dropping back down to the ground, she ran at Hiccup. Hiccup ran to meet her, slipping into her blindspot, moving fluidly back and forth as she swung her massive head from side to side. The twins both rushed her back and hit her with the shields.

Astrid stayed, flinching against the wall behind her shield. Her heart ached for the Deadly Nadder. She could be so sweet, but no one would ever give her a chance. This went on for a little while, the recruits darting in and out of the dragon's blindspot, swinging shields at her flanks, until her blue scales were smeared with blood. She was shrieking helplessly, shooting spines from her tail in all odd directions, unable to keep tabs on all five moving targets.

Then she got a lucky shot in. It connected solidly with Hiccup's shield, exploding the flimsy thing into flaming splinters. Hiccup cursed, trying to duck out of the way as the Nadder charged him. Hiccup was running towards her although it didn't look as though he realized it.

The dragon opened her mouth, another shot building in her throat, ready to blast Hiccup.

"Look out!" Astrid screamed as Hiccup rolled head over heels out of the way, not noticing that he left Astrid right in the path of the flames. He looked back in horror from his position in the dust.

"Astrid!" Someone from across the arena yelled. The girl didn't know who.

Dropping her shield, she held up both hands to the Nadder. The dragon kept barreling towards her. Then it clicked. She remembered Astrid. She turned her head to the side, firing the blast into the wall to the left of Astrid's head, her roar turning into a purr, and her head coming to a rest in Astrid's waiting hands.

Astrid watched from the corner of her eye as Hiccup stood, his mouth gaping open at the scene before him. Astrid wondered if the trick she did on Toothless to knock him out would work on a Deadly Nadder. She decided to try it, sliding one hand under the dragon's chin, the other over the Nadder's spines. She leaned deeper into Astrid's hands and she pushed down firmly, practically laying her whole body over the Nadder's face to reach high enough.

Sure enough, the dragon fell to the earth sending up a cloud of dust. Rolling onto her back, the Nadder made an amused sound, almost like a squawk, gazing up at Astrid. She was impressed on how quickly she had formed a bond with the Nadder. Toothless took days to even let Astrid touch him.

Hiccup rushed to Astrid's side, wrapping one hand over her shoulders, asking is she was okay in a concerned voice. The Nadder was not pleased by this. She flipped with ease to her feet, roared, and shoved Hiccup from Astrid with a rough twitch of her neck.

Hiccup stumbled backwards, appalled.

"No! No!" Astrid scolded, racing up to the Nadder's face and she started to advance on Hiccup. The dragon turned back to Astrid, nuzzling her head into Astrid's chest. "It's okay." Astrid whispered into her scales, pushing her head back. She squawked again, a mischivious light in her eyes as she swung her tail in a swift motion across the dirt, sweeping Hiccup's feet from under him. The boy let out a surprised noise and fell flat on his butt.

The twins and Snotlout burst out laughing from across the arena. The Nadder whipped around the face them, standing protectively in front of Astrid, her tail raising, ready to fire off another line of spines. Astrid calmed her down again.

Everyone slowly approached then, cautious holding their shields at the ready.

"I thought the first few times you tamed those dragons were a fluke, but I'll be damned." Gobber said.

"I didn't know Deadly Nadder's could make that sound!" Fishlegs said excitedly. "May I?" He asked, holding out his hand to the Nadder.

Astrid shrugged, glancing at the Nadder. She allowed it, but only for a moment before she pulled her head away.

"Interlocking scales." Fishlegs breathed. "Amazing."

"Okay, okay!" Snotlout shouted. "Before we all get all nerded out, how did you do that awesome knockout thing?"

Astrid shrugged again, shy now with everyone's attention on her. She reached up again, placing her hands in the same place as before, dropping the dragon to her stomach. The Nadder rumbled a content noise.

Ruffnut yowled. The dragon had collapsed onto her foot. Astrid chuckled. Then everyone laughed lightly.

Astrid led the Deadly Nadder to her cage, giving her one last scratch before shutting the door with a resounding clang.

"So, you have to tell us. It there some kind of secrete book or something?" Fishlegs pressed, his hands clasped in front of him.

"No! Of course not!" Tuffnut interrupted. "It's the dragons. Astrid can speak to them." Tuffnut flashed everyone a confident look, coming to stand by Astrid. "Isn't that right?" Be nudged her, as if suggesting that she confirm his idea.

"No, that's not it." Astrid said with a smile. "I already said. The dragons just like me."

"Something is going on here." Snotlout said, an accusing look on his features. "Now, I don't know what it is, or how to figure it out. But I will." He pointed to Astrid as he walked back slowly. Once he finished, he turned and ran, glancing over his shoulder as if he expected others follow. When no one did, he scoffed, then continued out into the street.

Astrid was overwhelmed as everyone kept badgering her with questions.

"Oh! Look at the time!" Hiccup exclaimed. "Astrid? Don't you have that thing to do?"

"Oh, yes of course! How could I forget?"

"I don't know! It's really important. Let me accompany you so you get there safely."

"Why, thank you!" Astrid said, hiding a grin as she and Hiccup walked quickly from the arena. Once they were out of earshot, they burst out laughing.

"Oh Thor." Astrid said, bending over as her sides started to ache. "Thank you for rescuing me." She exhaled.

"Oh, no problem. I owed you after last night. And earlier, when I led the enraged dragon strait to you."

Astrid straightened up, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have treated you like that last night." She sighed, starting up the hill towards home.

"Astrid!" Hiccup said, following her. "Don't apologize. What I said was really mean, but I'm not much one with words."

Astrid socked him in the arm. "You can say that again!"

"Oh, you!" Hiccup cried, grinning. "You want to play that game?"

"Yes, I suppose I do." She challenged.

"Oh, I see." Hiccup's green eyes glinted in the sun. He crouched down, stalking towards her.

"Hiccup?" Astrid said, walking backwards, slightly alarmed.

"Watch out!" He said, jumping up and chasing her. She shrieked, slapping a hand over her mouth as she took off, jumping over a fence and racing across a pasture. Hiccup easily caught up to her, but continued to let her run.

Once they reached to far end of the field, he grabbed her wrist, spinning her around to face him. A salty breeze from the sea blew wispy hairs, escaped from her braid, back into her face. Hiccup grabbed her other wrist, holding her out at arms length, continuing to walk her back.

"Do you trust me?" He said suddenly

"Huh?" Astrid's heart raced.

"Do you?" He asked her, holding her in place, taking a few more steps forwards.

Astrid frowned, confused. "I guess?" Hiccup put one of his feet on top of hers, leaning her back by her wrists. She kept her eyes locked on his, allowing his to move her.

"I hope you trust me?" He smirked, not maliciously, more of an amused expression.

"I do." Astrid said firmly, finally glancing down at where she was. She thought she was seeing things for a moment, her eyes looking straight down for dozens and dozens of feet, to crashing waves below.

"Hiccup!" She squealed, pulling herself up and wrapping her arms around his chest. "Are you trying to off me?"

Hiccup laughed, stepping back as she forced herself against him. He stumbled over a rock, and suddenly they were on the ground, grass tickling their ears, bright sun shining on them and a cloudless blue sky dawning infinitely in all directions.

Hiccup laughed heartily, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Astrid propped herself up on her elbows, glaring at him, although she couldn't keep the amusement from her face.

"You little…" She started to say, but the insult escaped her, watching his sharp features moving in the cadence of his laughter. His sharp nose and chin, the gentle wrinkles around his mouth and corners of his eyes, his messy brown hair, tousled by the winds' unforgiving hands.

"Oh, I really had you there Astrid!" He sat up and laughed harder.

"Yeah, you really had me." She said, smiling gently, her gaze flitting out over the azure water.

"C'mon. I'll walk you home." Hiccup stood and offered her his hand. Astrid obliged, noting how Hiccup cupped her hand in hands a few moments longer than necessary.

They chatted lightly on the walk back to Astrid's home. About the good weather they were having recently, how the fleet looking for the Dragon Nest was doing, about Training.

Arriving at the front steps, Astrid walked up the first two before turning back to face Hiccup. "If you think just because you got me away from the others, that I'd tell you my secretes, you were wrong." She said lightly, leaning in towards him.

"Oh? So there are secrets ti tell?" He smiled lopsidedly.

"Nope." Astrid whispered, kissing the boy on the cheek before turning the handle on the door, entering her house and shutting in lightly behind her, floating on air.

She didn't realize how fast her heart was racing until she slid down to the floor, her back against the door, and the salty taste of Hiccup's skin on her lips.

 **AN_**

 **Whew! Hey guys! Thank you to everyone who has left a review, I really appreciate it! I agree that it is moving a little faster than I would like, but it is what it is, and I'm almost done writing the whole thing. Whoops. I've had 4 day off school, because it's been -60 where I live. It isn't great, but I've been writing a lot.**

 **Keep reading and reviewing, I love to hear what you all have to say!**

 **Oh, and I need to get on a regular posting schedule. I'm thinking Sunday nights, but should I post a new chapter more than once a week?**

 **-Birch66724**


	8. Chapter VIII

The next three days passed by in a blur. There was still no news from the fleet, and the remaining Vikings in the village were growing more and more uneasy with each passing day. That, and they seemed to be due for another dragon attack any day now. The entire village was full of tension and set on edge, gathering outside of the Arena to watch training for something to take their minds off the matter.

Astrid had managed to lay low all three days in Dragon Training, except for tricking a Terrible Terror with a beam of light, as she had done with Toothless, quite accidentally the day before. She took a small piece of broken glass and lined it up with the sun, so it reflected a small dot of light on the ground, which could be moved by tilting to glass in different directions.

She was almost done with his new and improved tailpiece too, finding time to work on it between classes. It was made from a scrap piece of red cloth, used to make ship sails, that Astrid had found down by the docks. It had thinner, lighter control rods, and a thicker strap attaching it to the foot pedal. It folded much flatter, and Astrid had to admit she was quite impressed by her craftsmanship.

Hiccup had been tailing her after Training each day, although nothing more had happened between them. Astrid was wary, thinking perhaps he was only hanging around to try and figure out her secret. He had been helpful and kind, but not overly so in the arena, where anyone could see.

Gobber had announced that day after training that there was to be a two day break. Several reasons were listed, among them, Gobber was sore and tired, they were expecting news from the fleet tomorrow or the next day, there were out about of dragons in the arena to practice with, and Gothi, the village elder, needed more time to decide which recruit was to receive the honor of killing their first dragon in front of the whole village.

Astrid had been rather pleased at the news, looking forward to two long days with Toothless and the new tail. She could tell the Nightfury was getting pent up and bored stuck in the ravine. He wanted to stretch his wings.

She was on the way out to him now, picking her way delicately through the new early summer growth, humming gently and listening to the rustling of leaves around her and the flow of a small stream off to the right of the path. Birds chirped and flitted from branch to branch, collecting materials to build their new nests. Small animals like rabbits and squirrels were everywhere, darting across the trail and scampering up trees, chattering away in the warm air.

Upon reaching the ravine, Toothless greeted her warmly, as per usual, and excitedly bounced on his feet when he saw the new prosthetic.

Astrid laughed as he laid down and swung around his tail for Astrid to attach it.

"Eager aren't you now, bud?" Astrid said, strapping the tail in place and tightening the straps appropriately. Her fingers scraped through the dirt, getting it stuck under her nails as she tucked the straps all the way around. Toothless's tail was heavy, and he wasn't making it any easier by excitedly wiggling about.

Astrid double checked the saddle straps, to ensure they were still firmly in place, and mounted her dragon. Toothless warbled expectantly, waiting for the okay from Astrid as she settled herself in the saddle and fitted her foot into the pedal.

"Alright." She said, scratching the spot behind Toothless's ear that he liked. "You know the drill, bud!" Toothless grunted and took a running start before leaping into the air, beating his wings strongly, swiftly rising into the air. Astrid had to admit she had missed this, and had been looking forward to it for several days. The way her stomach lifted to her throat on the first assent, the thrill made her want to call out in exhilaration.

Astrid smiled into the sun and moved the tail into the first position, allowing Toothless to glide smoothly over the treetops, staying low until they were out of eyeshot of the village. Astrid could tell Toothless was elated. He flew with his eyes half shut, his mouth half open, and the tip of his broad tongue lolling out.

"Ready to try this thing out?" She shouted euphorically, leaning forward so the dragon could hear her over the sounds of the wind. Toothless called out to the sky, shaking his head and beating his wings harder, they rose to the level of the sparse clouds, then coasted along for a moment as they both got their bearings.

"Toothless! Dive!" Astrid shouted, slapping the tail down flat and gripping the front of the saddle and dragon dropped his shoulders, folding in his wings, and dropped. Astrid could keep in her yell this time, and Toothless answered, the rushing wind stealing their voices straight from their mouths.

Down they dove, Astrid stomach rising up into her chest as her spirit rose higher and higher. Toothless began to spread out his wings again as the sea rose up to meet them. Astrid started to slowly open then tail, then, when the Nightfury shot out his wings to their full span, she kicked the pedal down, the red tail shooting out, waving proudly in the onslaught of fierce winds. Toothless's claws touched the surface of the water, sending up quite a spray at their speed.

"Perfect!" Astrid shouted, pumping one fist in the air. Toothless agreed with her, shooting a plasma blast into the great beyond.

He seemed to be making no move to slow down and the pair approached the huge rock formations that made up the coastline of a neighboring island. Astrid took a deep breath, accepting the challenge. The air rushing past her tugged on her braid and her clothes, making her feel wrapped up by the wind. It was an absolutely freeing feeling, one that made your heart race and time stop.

"Left!" Astrid shouted, sending Toothless banking around a large tower of sea-splashed rock. She rocked the pedal up, closing the fin a little bit allowing Toothless to make tighter turns. "Nice!"

They had been working to voice commands and directions the last three days, while they were ground-bound as Astrid finished up the new tail. Speaking of it, it seemed to holding up wonderfully, responding to the pedal perfectly, withstanding the wind and the dragon's abrupt movements. They banked left and right, then Toothless want to take control, so Astrid let him. He almost seemed as if he want to test out Astrid's abilities.

Astrid laughed when he flipped upside down, flew perpendicular, and shot straight up into the air. He was showing off, and Astrid was just along for the ride.

Then it happened. Toothless went straight up, then leveled out, parallel to the ground, thousands of feet below, and Astrid just sort of floated right off his back. One second she was sitting in the saddle, and the next, she was plummeting to the ground.

"Toothless!" She screamed as she realized what had happened. His tail was stuck in the open position, so his descent was slowed considerably. He cried out to her, working his wings against the pull as he too started to drop.

Astrid fought to control her wild spinning and face her friend. He was flapping wildly, desperate to catch her. Astrid watched as the tail folded in on itself, the rods she had worked on painstakingly bent at odd angles. Toothless sped up without the extra drag. She glanced down, gulping as she saw a rocky ledge rising up to meet her.

Toothless was almost there. Astrid reached out, fumbling to get a hold on him and pull herself into the saddle. He cried out, a gutheral scared sound, almost similar to the one he had made when she first shot him down, She was wracked with guilt whenever she thought about that. Now she understood how he must have felt then.

"Come on, bud!" She yelled, finally getting a grip and snapping out the broken tail fin. Toothless came to such and abrupt slow down, her body jerked down and met with the dragon's thick neck. She was more than happy to wrap her arms around him, trusting him to save her.

He did, swooping low before rising and landing on top of on of the rock formations. It was all Astrid could do to roll off of him and lay flat on her back, panting, heart racing, eyes squeezed shut. Toothless made a gentle, concerned sound, nudging her arm worriedly.

Astrid smiled and hugged the Nightfury. "That was sure the thrill of a lifetime!" She said, scratching the dragon and then chasing him around the small top of the outcropping once she caught her breath. Toothless seemed thrilled that Astrid was alright, sniffing her up and down to confirm it for himself, before letting himself be chased.

The pair played for long minutes, letting the fear wear off before Astrid crouched down and inspected the tailpiece.

"Well, it's busted." She frowned, rocking back on her heels. Toothless grunted, sniffing at the fabric. "All the rods are bent, bud." She said, pushing back loose strands of hair.

Standing up, Astrid brushed off the seat of her pants and remounted Toothless. "If we go slow and gentle, I think we can make it home perfectly fine." She said, although she had supreme doubts.

But, several slow going hours later, Toothless was gliding down, circling the ravine before landing softly.

"I'm so sorry, Toothless." Astrid murmured, removing the tail and rolling it up to carry home to fix. "We need a better system. Maybe something to hold me in place. But also, it could break if it got pulled on really hard. For safely."

Toothless cocked his head encouragingly. Astrid grinned. "You're too good to me." She crooned, hugging his wide head again. He purred, the vibration rumbling through Astrid's whole body.

"I'll be back tomorrow, big T." She said. "With a new, and improved, tail!" Astrid kissed him on the nose and turned up the trail.

 **AN_**

 **Hey all a y'all! Sorry about the shorter chapter... But, I do have good news! I finished the book this evening! Yay! It is a total of 20 chapters, and I have a bonus chapter planned if you guys are good :)**

 **I will posting new chapters every Sunday evening and Wednesday evening (Central Standard Time).**

 **Thank you everyone for the views, follows, favorites and the reviews! I adore the reviews!**

 **Good day everyone!**

 **-Birch66724**


	9. Chapter VIIII

It rained the next morning and Astrid awoke to the sound of a steady downpour thumping on the thatched roof of her house. She frowned as she trudged over to her window, craning her head back to look at the sky, searching for a break in the clouds.

Minutes later, she had stuffed the bent tail into her canvas bag, tugged on her boots, and shrugged a hood over her head. Having seen no breaks in the rain, she set off at a steady run, splashing down the road towards the rebuilt forge.

It had been fixed up in a few days. People were always ready to lend a hand to Gobber, as he was always doing so much around the village to help them out. A few strong men that had stayed back from the journey to the Dragon Nest raised up new framing for the building, while their wives weaved a new roof.

The building was slightly larger than before, and Gobber had been working to get his new forge up and running. When he wasn't doing something for Dragon Training, he was in forge.

Luckily for Astrid though, he was home on this gray morning. She ducked inside, flipping off her sodden hood and dripping water onto the packed dirt floor. Setting her bag on the large stone table, she rolled up her sleeves and squeezed some water from them.

Thankfully, some logs were stacked inside the door, so there was enough dry wood to get the fire going. Astrid warmed her wet, cold hands over the flickering flame as she waited for it to blaze stronger. Once her fingers were warmed enough to move again, she carefully pulled out the seams of the tail, exposing the bent metal frame.

She warmed the metal in the fire, pounding it all out straight, dipping it in the wooden barrel of water in the corner to set it, before adding more molten metal the strengthen it.

It was mid morning before Astrid was satisfied with the rods. She greased up the mechanism the allowed it to fold, and packed it back into the bag. She still needed to reattach the canvas, but she wanted to wait and do it when she got home, where it was warmer and she had better lighting.

After grabbing a thick canvas needle and some heavy gauge thread, Astrid pushed back outside. It was brighter now, and the downpour had lightened to a heavy drizzle. She watched the rivers on the sides of the road that the water had dug, gurgling downwards, towards the sea. Leaves drooped heavily under the droplets, and no one was out. Smoke curled from chimneys instead.

Astrid changed into dry clothes and went right to work. Pulling the fabric taut, stitching in straight, even lines as her mother had taught her to do when she was a small child, stitching dolls for her baby sister from old shirts and straw. Astrid smiled sadly at the memory, holding up the tail to inspect her work.

A knock at the door had her almost dropping her masterpiece on the floor, her heart jumping in fright. Hurrying down the stairs, Astrid pulled open the front door. Hiccup stood, his hair hanging in wet, stringy tendrils down his forehead. He had lopsided smile on his mouth.

He held out a small pot. Astrid glanced at it,

"Did the rain let up some?" She asked, leaning out of the door, holding the frame.

"Yes. But it's still raining. On me." He said suggestively, but Astrid was busy staring at the clouds. "Can I come in?" He asked bluntly then, chuckling.

"Oh!" Astrid stepped back, allowing Hiccup entrance. "What brings you around?" Astrid asked curiously, leaning over the back of one kitchen chair, watching as he leaned down and kicked off his wet boots.

"I brought you food?" He said as if it was obvious, gesturing to the pot he had placed on the ground.

"Mm." Astrid made the noise, feeling her stomach rumble then. She had been too focused on her tailpiece to cook herself anything.

"It's cod stew." Hiccup grinned, wiping his hands on the tops of his thighs, picking up the pot and walking to the table.

"Oh no."

"Don't worry." Hiccup was laughing at her reaction. "My mother made it this time."

"Oh yes." Astrid said, everyone knew of Mrs. Haddock's stew. She made it sometimes down at the Great Hall for everyone.

"I thought you'd be hungry." Hiccup said, watching Astrid eye the pot. "Do ever feed yourself?"

"When I remember." Astrid said honestly, but Hiccup laughed more. He settled the pot into the embers in Astrid's stove as she fetched a couple of bowls and spoons. Astrid stood next to Hiccup and he warmed his hands next to the stew.

"You have somewhere to go after it stops raining?" He asked.

Astrid held her breath, staring at the glowing orange coals. The tone of Hiccup's voice was gently accusatory. It was a tone she knew well from her father. It was often all he used when he spoke to her, as if everything was Astrid's fault.

"Just some errands to run." She replied breezily, forcing herself to stand close to him, although she wanted to back away, wanted to avoid any more questions. It had been getting considerably more difficult to come up with excuses to tell Hiccup and others about why she was gone all afternoon.

"Oh, okay. I have some things to do too." Astrid could tell he didn't buy into her lie.

They ate their stew quietly, sitting across from each other at the large table. It was delicious, now that it was prepared correctly. It had a thick tomato base, with large chunks of cod and potatoes and onions.

Hiccup washed the dishes and Astrid dried and put them away. Hiccup had resigned since she lied to him, and Astrid didn't know what to do about it. She thanked him and said goodbye as he slipped out the door.

The sun was shining now, glistening on the droplets of water that clung to everything. Astrid sighed, walking up the stairs slowly and fetching the tail. Her mood brightened as she set out on the wet trail. The forest smelled wonderful after a rainstorm. The dirt was richly aromatic, and floral and pine scents were drifting between tall tree trunks.

Astrid was almost to the ravine when she saw a flash of something up ahead. Pausing on the path, she glanced around, seeing it move again. She put a hand to her mouth as she made out a human frame. Astrid hugged the red tail piece closer to her chest as she saw him walk slowly past the top of the trail down to the ravine.

 _Oh no, no, no._ Astrid though, staying frozen. The person stopped. He turned around.

"Astrid?" Her eyes widened. She tried to shift the tail behind her back, but it was too late.

"What is that?"

"What are you doing here?" She sputtered, watching him approach.

"I'm asking the questions, Astrid. What is that?" He pointed as he asked a second time.

"It's a, it's a um, surprise."

"A surprise? For who?"

"For everyone!" Astrid tried not to trip over her words. It wasn't exactly a lie. Imagine how surprised everyone would be be if they saw her on the back of a Nightfury!

He stepped towards her. Astrid ducked around him, darting down the path into the ravine without thinking it through, dashing any hope of diverting to situation.

"Astrid!" He chased her.

Toothless wiggled out from where had been dozing in the rain, beneath the outcropping of rock. He rumbled warmly seeing Astrid. Astrid gave him a strained smile, dropping the tail piece.

"Astrid?"

Toothless's expression shifted instantly. His ears flattened, his curious green eyes narrowed, his mouth opened and his teeth shot out. His warm sound shifted into a menacing growl.

"Astrid! Look out!" He yelled, racing forward and unsheathing his sword, pushing Astrid behind him with his free hand. Toothless reared up at the sight of the weapon, the sun gleaming off the polished metal.

"No!" Astrid screamed. "Hiccup!" Toothless's mouth opened, blue fire welling up in his mouth. "Toothless! Stop!"

Astrid ducked under Hiccup's arm, racing for Toothless as he dropped back to all fours, tucking his chin in to bring up the blast. Hiccup yelled after her and she pushed her hands onto Toothless's nose. The heat radiating from his open mouth was enough to singe the hairs of Astrid's arms.

Toothless makes a startled sound, as if he forgot Astrid had been there a moment before. He closed his mouth, smoke blowing out from his nostrils as he diffused the blast.

"Easy!" Astrid breathed, turning back to Hiccup, keeping both hands on Toothless, who took up growling again.

Hiccup raised to sword up. Toothless roared, stepping protectively in front of Astrid.

"No! Hiccup!"

"This is a Nightfury, Astrid! Your dragon charm won't work here!" His eyes were dark, a ferocious look dawning over his features. Toothless reopened his mouth, brewing up another shot.

"Drop the sword!" Astrid screamed, trying to side step Toothless, but he wasn't letting her.

"Drop it! You're scaring Toothless!"

Hiccup faltered for a moment. " _Toothless?"_ He asked incredulously. " _I'm_ scaring _him?"_

"Just drop the sword! I'll explain everything! I'll explain!" Astrid struggled as her throat tightened up, tears tryong to find their way to the surface. Hiccup lowered the sword. Toothless closed his mouth, turning concernedly to Astrid.

"Throw it." Astrid commanded, and Hiccup did, reluctantly. Toothless nuzzled his face into Astrid chest. "I'm okay boy. It's okay." Astrid assured him.

"What is going on here?" Hiccup glared at her.

Astrid took a shaky deep breath, pressing the heels of her hands into ther eye sockets for a second.

"This, " She gestured to the dragon at her side, "Is Toothless."

"Toothless?" Hiccup raised one eyebrow, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Astrid could tell her was calming down slightly, now that a Nightfury wasn't about to blast off his head. "Looks like he has teeth to me."

Astrid ignored the comment. "And this," She took Toothless's head in both of her hands, pulling it until he looked at her, "Is Hiccup. He is my _friend."_ She said forcefully to the dragon.

Toothless cast a glance towards Hiccup, and growled.

"I don't think he likes me." Hiccup said, rubbing his face. He stared at Astrid for several long moments, his gaze hardening the longer he stared. She squirmed under his eyes, scratching Toothless's neck until he purred.

"What are you doing here, Astrid?" He asked, his voice deadly calm. Astrid swallow stiffly.

"I- I shot him. That night, you know, with the canon behind my house?" She looked at Hiccup, waiting, needing, for recognition to flash in his eyes. None did.

"Well, I found him. But I could kill him. I just couldn't. So, I've been-"

Hiccup cut her off. "You _couldn't kill him?"_ His voice was steely, cutting through Astrid like a knife, pulling all her feelings to the surface.

"Well, I-"

"How couldn't you? Nightfuries have taken so much from us!" He yelled, pacing now, shaking his arms in the air. "Your own family for Thor's sake!"

Astrid shrunk against Toothless. A low rumble was escaping from his throat, like a warning against Hiccup.

"What is wrong with you?" He shouted, rounding on her. "I can't even believe this!" He paused a brief moment. "And I suppose this is where you've been learning all your little tricks! You devious little-"

"Enough!" Astrid yelled, stomping up to him. "You can come here and ridicule me all you want, but-"

"That's what you think I'm doing? _Ridiculing?_ Saying these things to hurt you _feelings?_ I'm trying to save your life Astrid! You really trust this _thing?"_

"I would trust Toothless over you any day!" She said, her gusto fading with each sentence Hiccup hurled at her.

He scoffed, walking in a circle shaking his head in disbelief. He stumbled over the red tail fin. "What is this thing?" Hiccup picked it up, unfolding it, frowning, glaring at it.

"It's a tail."

"A _tail?"_

"Toothless can't fly without it. I broke his when I shot him."

Hiccup moved his icy gaze to her, his eyes falling on the saddle for the first time.

"Oh, don't tell me… " He said. "You _ride_ this Nightfury?"

Astrid nodded, feeling insignificant under Hiccup menacing glare. She couldn't meet his gaze anymore.

"Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable." He shook his head more, dropping the tail to the ground. "Just you wait." He looked at her. "I can't wait to hear what everyone will say about this." With one more glance of disgust at Astrid, Hiccup turned and disappeared up the path, leaving the bush waving, casting glistening drops to the dirt.

 **AN_**

 **Welcome to the Sunday update! Or, I guess you already read it if you are down here. :) How was it? I'm not so sure about the dialog.. Oh well.**

 **Anyway, this is later in the day than I would normally update, but I was at auditions for our school's musical all day, and it was a whole thing and blah blah blah. So sorry!**

 **Hope you enjoyed, and I'll be back again on Wednesday with Chapter 10!**

 **-Birch66724**


	10. Chapter X

"That's not good." Astrid breathed through her teeth. She hurried over to where Hiccup had discarded the red tail piece, hurriedly attaching it to Toothless. He sat perfectly still for her, sensing the urgency in her movements.

"You know- It's not that bad- We'll make him see- Won't we bud?" Astrid paused between each phrase, tugging the straps with sharp puffs of air. Toothless warbles, nudging Astrid.

"Thanks, bud." Astrid swings her leg over the dragon's back. "Let's go play some fetch." Toothless takes off, waiting until Astrid opens his tail to coast silently over the treetops, scanning between the branches for the sight of Hiccup. Astrid wipes her face, shaking her head to clear her foggy hurt feelings. Hiccup's words cut deep, but she was determined not to show him how deep.

Toothless grunts, pointing to a blurry figure racing through the forest with his nose.

"Good job." Astrid murmurs. "Just keep on him." Toothless flies in tight circles over Hiccup, the speed of his flight obviously much faster than Hiccup's feverish running.

Astrid racked her brain for a plan on what to do once Toothless picked up the boy. She doesn't come up with one before the Nightfury dives, easily gasping Hiccup by his upper arms with his front feet, flapping hard to rising again.

"Put! Me! Down!" Hiccup hollars, twisting and bucking in the dragon's strong grip. Toothless drops his head and growls at the human in his possession. Astrid laughs at her dragon's antics.

"Oh Thor. Oh Thor." Hiccup mutters, eventually giving up trying to get free as Toothless rises higher and higher. Astrid directs him in a wide loop as she tried to think of what to do.

"Astrid? Astrid! Please!" Hiccup begs.

"There." She tells Toothless, pointing to a massive pine tree, its top narrow, towering above all the other trees around it. Toothless banks right, dropping his wing backs lower, dragging against the air, slowing him down.

"What are you- No! Astrid! No! Tell him no!"

Toothless makes his mock laughing sound, depositing Hiccup on the top of the tree. It sways wildly back and forth, small twigs breaking off and cartwheeling down. Astrid stifles a laugh as she watches Hiccup cling desperately to the thin top of the tunk, leading Toothless in a wide arc around the terrified boy.

A few moments later, she urged Toothless to join Hiccup. The dragon seemed skeptical, but obliged. Hiccup howled in fright as the huge Nightfury came at him, all four feet outstretched to grip the truck beside him.

As Toothless did so, the entire tree bent practically double, drooping down several dozen feet, sending a shower of dead needles down. Astrid giggled. Hiccup glared at her. She swung both legs off Toothless's left side, putting her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands, gazing at Hiccup with her eyebrows raised expectantly.

He looked at her, still glaring for several moments, before conceding. "Fine. I'm sorry." He looked away, out across the sky.

"O-kay." Astrid said. "I suppose that's a start."

"I am!" Hiccup insisted, growling out the words.

"I think Toothless wants to stretch his wings. We'll be back later." Astrid righted herself in the saddle and her dragon spread his black wings out wide.

"No! Wait!"

"I'm listening."

"I am sorry, Astrid. I lost it back there."

"You think?"

"Are you going to listen or interrupt?" Clearly his anger hadn't worn off, but Astrid had the upper hand here.

"I _said_ I'm listening."

Hiccup sighed frustratedly. Astrid guessed it wasn't very often that he gave an apology. It was several minutes before Hiccup started talking again.

"Look, it's just that, I don't know."

"Huh. Very insightful." Astrid said softly, the bite gone from her voice. Toothless sunned his wings in the yellow light which had emerged full force as the sun was starting its decent It made the top of Astrid's hair warm to the touch.

"I feel so, so torn. I guess." He said. Astrid looked at him. He no longer looked angry. "I don't trust your, um, _Toothless._ But I trust you, Astrid. I really do. And I suppose if you trust him, I'll learn to."

"I trust Toothless with my life." Astrid breathed, laying flat on her dragon's sun warmed back.

"Hmm." All Hiccup offered was a tight lipped expression. "But, I think you need to come clean to Gobber and the others."

"No way!" Astrid said firmly. "Toothless is my little secret."

"Well, I wouldn't say little."

Astrid scoffed, shaking her head. "But, in all seriousness, do you know what they would do to him?"

Hiccup frowned. "I suppose."

"Just, let me show you what he can do?" Astrid offers her hand to Hiccup. He looks startled.

"He hates me!"

"Well, I think it's just because you were mean to me."

"Oh, sure."

"I'm serious! Toothless would do anything for me."

"Oh yeah?"

"He's already saved my life." The two stare at each other. "Oh! I've wanted to tell you so much about him. And now I can share my stories!"

Toothless rumbles restlessly. Astrid scratches him. "It's now or never."

Hiccup hesitates. "Fine." He mutters. Astrid grins. Hiccup cautiously places one hand on the back of the saddle. Toothless turns his head, his eyes glinting mischievously. Astrid smirks, nodding for him to continue.

Toothless opens his mouth, baring his teeth, and when Hiccup placed his second hand onto his back, he roared, whipping back his head. Hiccup screamed, losing his grip and falling backwards. Astrid laughed as Toothless reached out and snagged the falling boy by the back of his shirt, pulling his back up.

"Not funny!" He yelled, but couldn't not laugh when he saw Astrid cracking up in the saddle. Once Hiccup was settled behind her, gripping the back of the saddle with both hands, Astrid gave Toothless the okay. He turned and checked on his passengers, the look still in his eyes.

"Oh Thor." Astrid murmured, not intending for Hiccup to hear as she tightened her grip.

"Oh Thor? That sounds bad! Astrid are you su- Ahhh!" His sentence was cut off mid way through by a scream of terror and Toothless launched himself straight up. Astrid was forced to follow suit, not wanting him to spin out of control.

"Assstriiiddd!" Hiccup yelled, bouncing wildly around, fighting for a grip. Astrid laughed, actually enjoying herself. Toothless clearly was holding a grudge against the boy, and was going to show him.

Breaking through the layer of high clouds to the East, Toothless leveled out, letting Hiccup get his grip back.

"Thank Thor." The boy muttered.

"I wouldn't be so quick to say that." Astrid warned, already knowing what Toothless was about to do. She moved the tail into the right position and Toothless grunted a thank-you.

He started his decent, straight down. Then he started to spin, rolling around and around as the open sea rushed up.

"Do you know how to fly this thing?" Hiccup hollered, the wind stealing his words.

"Of course." Astrid said breezily. "He's just getting his payback because I told him he couldn't plasma blast you!"

Hiccup sighed. "I suppose I deserve this."

"Yep!" Toothless flipped over. Astrid hugged him around the neck as he swooped low, dipping Hiccup's head in the water.

"Not cool!" He yelled, swiping salty water from his face. Toothless warbled, shooting a blast off into the sky.

"Woah." Hiccup breathed, following the arc of the blue blast as it disappeared.

"He's pretty cool, you have to admit." Astrid said.

"Maybe. I'm not convinced yet."

Toothless weaved through the sea stacks, forcing Astrid to abandon her conversation and focus on keeping them in the air. With Toothless constantly changing altitudes and direction, it wasn't a simple task. Astrid could tell Hiccup was watching intently, she could feel him looking over his shoulder to see the red tail fin open and close.

The Nightfury carried them up and down, blowing past small islands on his side, rising up into the clouds and shooting back down. Astrid thoroughly enjoyed it, and after awhile, she could tell that Hiccup did too.

When the sun was low on the horizon, perhaps an hour from sunset, Toothless touched down atop a grassy peak on a small island, pretty far from Berk. He landed gracefully, running a few strides before coming to a halt, lowering his shoulders so Astrid and Hiccup could slid off.

"Okay. You got me." Hiccup said, smiling at Astrid. "He is pretty amazing." Astrid watched as Hiccup reached out his hand to Toothless. The dragon sniffed at it before making a gentle sound and pushing his head into his hand for a brief moment.

"Aw. He forgives you. But he still doesn't like you." Astrid says slyly, wandering to the edge of the island. She sat down slowly, her legs dangling over the edge, her messy loose hairs blowing back, and the waves crashing against the rocks far below.

"I'm so sorry Astrid." Hiccup said, sitting beside her.

"Oh, it's okay. I forgive you. I guess." She sticks her tongue out at him. He laughs and gives her a gentle shove on the shoulder.

A loud roar interrupts them. Toothless races over, shoving Hiccup back, putting himself between Astrid and him. He growls, icy green eyes boring into Hiccup.

"It's okay bud!" Astrid says hurriedly, trying to calm Toothless down. She steps past him and puts her arm around Hiccup. "He's a friend. Remember?" She insists. Toothless huffs, blowing hot air at Hiccup.

"Yeah. He really doesn't like me." Hiccup runs a hand through his windblown hair where the sea water had dried it into salty sticks, a half-frown on his face.

"No! He does!" Astrid says firmly, becoming aware of her arm still around Hiccup's waist. She lets go, sitting back down. "He's just- Protective over me." She plucked a tough clump of weeds from the edge, tossing it down to the waves.

"Hmm."

The two sit calmly as Toothless shakes out his legs, laying down and rolling around in the grass.

"I uh, was wondering…?" Hiccup asks tentatively.

"Huh?"

"About um, what you're going to do?"

"I don't know." Astrids says, continuing to pluck at the grass. "I was thinking about leaving." She says a few seconds later, barely a whisper.

"What?" Hiccup practically shouts, tugging Astrid's arm until she looks at him. "You absolutely _cannot_ do that."

"Why not? It's not like anyone would miss me. Especially not my Father." She smarts crossly, pushing to her feet.

"No, no! Astrid, you've got it wrong."

"Got what wrong? It'd solve so many problems! My Father, Dragon Training, Toothless! I can't risk him! They'd kill him in an instant! I'd have to have chance to explain, no chance to show them, like I showed you! You get it now. Don't you?"

"I do." He says, fidgeting with his hands as Astrid returns to Toothless's side, pressing into him.

"We should get back." Astrid says. Hiccup nods.

Toothless flies calmly, sensing the change in mood. The sun sets in front of them as they head back towards Berk, painting the sky in reds, oranges and pinks.

Astrid sighs at the beauty, surprising herself by relaxing back into Hiccup. He seemed surprised to, unsure what to do with Astrid's back pressed against his chest, her wispy hair blowing on his face. Eventually, he scoots forward, pulling her in closer, wrapping his hands around her, clasping them at her lower stomach. Astrid shivers, unsure of whether from the chill in the air from the sun setting, or from the touch of the attractive boy behind her.

As they came upon Berk in the dark, they both gasped at the sight. No one had ever seen the village from this vantage point, and it was stunning. All of the fires were lit around the docks and streets, casting deep orange shadows around. Soft small light from windows dotted the scene, and a ship's sail billowed bright white against the light.

Hiccup settled his chin on Astrid's shoulder, pressing his cheek against hers. She sighed into the chilly night, feeling at ease for the first time in weeks.

"See, if you leave, how could we do this?" He turned his head, his lips brushing against her ear. The hair on the back of Astrid's neck stood up.

"You're right? How could I go now?" She murmured.

 **AN_**

 **Halfway point of the story folks! Woot woot. It's also kind of bittersweet though. How Astrid Trains Your Dragon has been an absolute blast to write, and the the reviews I've gotten are just as much fun to read, so thanks!**

 **That's all I have for you tonight, so hoped you enjoyed Chapter 10.**

 **-Birch66724**


	11. Chapter XI

"Whatcha up to today?" A warm throaty voice sounds from behind Astrid.

"Thor!" She gasps, clasping one hand to her chest, pushing herself upright with a fish in her other hand. Astrid doesn't turn around, but stays standing with her waist pressed against a wooden barrel.

Hiccup laughs from behind her.

"Jeez! Be careful before you scare the dragon tricks straight out of her!" Snotlout jeers, his heavy footsteps clomping on the wooden dock.

"Hello, boys." Astrid says, dropping the fish in her other hand into the wicker basket by her feet.

"Hungry today, huh Astrid?" Snotlout chortles, whacking Hiccup with the back of his hand, trying to get the other boy to laugh at his joke. Hiccup just shoots him a sideyed glance and a raised eyebrow, making Astrid the one to grin.

"Breakfast for someone rather _scaly?"_ Hiccup asks, leaning in towards Astrid so Snotlout doesn't hear. She nods, watching Snotlout's smile fade as he tries to hear what the brown haired boy was saying.

"I might need to come with you to see him." He whispers.

"C'mon! Secrets don't make friends!" Snotlout called, throwing up his hands, letting them flop back to his sides.

"Hey, it's okay, Snotman." Hiccup said, slugging Snotlout.

"Don't call me that!" He insisted rubbing his arm.

"O-kay!"

Astrid rolled her eyes at the boys' antics, tossing another few fish into her basket before dropping the heavy wooden top back onto the barrel. Swinging the wicker over her shoulder, she started back up the stairs from the docks.

Hiccup and Snotlout were still messing around, and seemingly didn't notice her start on her way. She glanced over her shoulder, watching Hiccup drop to his knees, scooping up a handful of sea water with a cupped hand. He flicked at Snotlout, shaking the excess from his skin, running backwards.

"If you think that's funny-" Snotlout yelled, pointing a finger at Hiccup, stomping towards him. "I'll just-"

"You'll what? What was that?" Hiccup put a hand to his ear, mocking the shorter boy.

"O-o-oh! You'll be sorry!" He spit out, his face reddening. Hiccup chuckled, running up the steps two at a time until he was walking next to Astrid.

"Hey." He said breezily, tossing cautious looks over his shoulder at Snotlout.

"Hello." Astrid said, shaking her head, trying not to smirk.

"What?"

"You just like to stir up trouble don't you?" She asked, throwing his and easy glance.

"Only with Snotman. And only when he deserves it." He said wryly, nudging a stone off the edge of a step, onto Snotlout who was climbing up the flight of steps below them. It clanked off his metal helmet with a loud noise.

"Hiccup!" He yelled, glaring up at him. He threw his head back so far that the helmet slipped right off, tumbling down the three flights of stairs he already gone up, rolling across the dock, and fell into the foamy water.

"No no no no!" He said, racing back down the stairs and leaping into the water, paddling out to where the helmet had drifted.

The two friends looked over the edge of the steps, giggling. Astrid had to set down the basket she started laughing so hard.

"Oh, that was so mean Hiccup!" Astrid gasped between laughs.

"C'mon." Hiccup said, picking up the basket. "Let's go before he follows us." The two teens hurried up the rest if the steps, their footfalls making hollow thuds on the warped wooden stairs. Astris glanced over at Hiccup from behind a lock of hair that had fallen across her forehead. His strong jaw was set, not in a menacing way, but it a determined, absent sort of way, as if that was were it naturally went to when he wasn't actively using it. His nose was sharply shaped, but the tip was rounded. His brow was prominent, his eyes set in a little way, sparkling in the bright early summer sun. His brown hair fell shaggy over his forehead, covered the tips of his ears and the back of his neck. It gave him a more boyish look. Astrit felt that if he was to trim it up, he would look twenty-some, rather than sixteen.

Almost as if he sensed Astrid's eyes on him, he turned his head towards her and flashed his lopsided smile. Astrid flushed and looked down. They crossed the village wordlessly, and started down the path, make sure to check that no one was following them.

Astrid paused a few paces in, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. The forest always smelled so good. Particularly of decaying wood and Larkspur blooms today. Astrid glanced around for the purple flowers, spotting them growing a few feet from the trail. She stepped off and retrieved a stem, aware of Hiccup watching her.

Astrid help the flower up to him. He raised his brows, but smelled it.

"Nice." He said, taking the blossom from her and spinning it in his hands. Then, with measured, precise movements, he reached out, brushing away the locks of hair from Astrid's face, and tucking the flower behind her ear.

Astrid smiled and rolled her eyes, moving to take to flower from its new position. Hiccup caught her hand midway.

"Leave it." He said quietly. " It looks nice." His eyes were intense, his expression weighted.

Astrid turned quickly and continued walking, feeling the now familiar heat in her cheeks creeping back up. Never before had a boy given her cause to blush, but Hiccup had her wrapped around his finger, and Astrid doubted he even knew it.

Upon reaching the clearing, Astrid opened her arms to Toothless, who bounded across the clearing, rumbling warmly in his chest. He pressed his whole head into Astrid's midriff, nuzzling her.

"If missed you too, bud." She chuckled, pushing him back. His sniffed at her face, then carefully plucked the Larkspur from her ear with a motion of his tongue.

Hiccup laughed, drawing the Nightfury's attention to him. Toothless turned towards him, narrowed his eyes, and ignored him, returning to be scratched by Astrid.

"Not to fond of me yet, Toothy?" Hiccup says, letting the wicker to the ground with a thump. That garnered the dragon's focus.

"Why don't you feed him?" Astrid suggested, crouching down to check on the straps of the tailfin.

"Oh, I don't think so!" Hiccup says quickly. "You remember yesterday? When he nearly blasted me to Valhalla?"

Astrid only frowned, wanting all too much to forget yesterday's incident.

Hiccup obliged, eventually, opening the basket and offering one of the fish to Toothless. Toothless just stared at the boy for a long minute. Astrid stood back up, running her hand along the length of the dragon as she walked to stand beside Hiccup.

Large green eyes looked back and forth between the faces of the two people. They seemed to say, _I'm not stupid. Offering me food isn't going to make me like you!_ Astrid smirked, then nodded towards Hiccup, urging Toothless to take the fish. He sat back on his haunches heavily, dropping his ears.

"Go on Toothless." Astrid said, shaking a finger at the insubordinate dragon. He grunted, in four beats, as if to mock Astrid.

"Oh? Really young man? Going to take a tone with me?" Astrid put her hands on her hips. Toothless spread his wings, imitating her.

"You'll be sorry!" She yelled, charging at him. He flipped on his back, then sprung onto his feet, flouncing away. Astrid gave chase, following the darting dragon around the pond, ducking behind bushes and branches, trying to catch him.

Toothless led her on, warbling up a storm, taunting the young Viking. Returning back to the other side of the pond, he snagged the fish from Hiccup hand and gulped it down. He sat back and glared defiantly at Astrid, who had almost forgotten that Hiccup was there.

"What a little-" Astrid shot, breathing heavily as she came to halt by Hiccup. The boy was watching her, a look part way between amazement and questioning on his face.

All he said was; "Astrid, you are such a different person than I thought."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, becoming suspicious.

Hiccup only shook his head, a trace of a smile on his mouth as he offered Toothless another fish. The dragon begrudgingly accepted it, then nosed Hiccup aside and tipped over the basket to eat for himself.

Astrid watched him for a bit, then looked up to find Hiccup's eyes on her. She looked away, not wanting to give herself time to redden in the face. Instead, she sat down, her back against a large stone and tucked her heels up to her butt, hugging her knees.

Hiccup came and sat next to her, his movements easy and relaxed. His long legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankle. He sat close enough that their arms brushed. Astrid tried to think nothing of it as she watched Toothless try and swallow a huge Atlantic Cod. He choked on it, coughing abruptly until it came back up.

She scoffed, letting her right leg slide out flat.

"What I meant by that, " Hiccup starts, surprising Astrid by picking up the topic again, "Is that, well, you have this whole other side to your personality that I've never seen before. That _no one_ has ever seen before."

"Hmm." Astrid mused, sliding out her other leg, letting her foot rock over on its heel, so the toe of her boot rested against Hiccup's shin.

"Yeah, I think that without your father here or something…" He trailed off.

"I suppose. But, personally, I think that Toothless has brought it out. He's already taught me so much about myself. And I've only known him, what, a week?"

"Then I guess I'll have to get him to put up with me, because I really like this new Astrid."

The bluntness of Hiccup's words shocked Astrid like plunging into the sea midwinter. In a way though, she couldn't see Hiccup going about it any differently. He was strong and straightforward, not lacking in self-confidence.

"I guess I do, too." Astrid finally answered with a little shrug. Her mind was whirling, part of her wondering if the past week had been too good to be true, or when she was going to something wrong and break the spell.

Hiccup laughed warmly, giving Astrid a gentle shove. Toothless finished eating, snuffling his nose in the basket, looking for more. Finding none, he huffed and plodded over to Astrid, exhaling hot fishy breath on her.

"Okay, okay." She said brightly. Hiccup stood and offered her his hand. She accepted, glancing up at his eyes. They were green, but a different shade then Toothless's. They were darker, the color of pine in the late summer. They were eyes made for the ground, while Toothless were wildly green, vibrant and seemed to soar from his dark face.

"I'm sorry Toothless." Hiccup said, still holding Astrid's hand in one of his, placing the other one Toothless's face.

The dragon didn't pull back this time. He sighed, as if accepting that Hiccup was part of his life now.

"Close enough." Hiccup smirked.

Astrid puffed out a breath, rolling her eyes. "I guess Nightfuries hold grudges."

 ******** How Astrid Trains Your Dragon*******

"Wait, how do you get it to close then?" Hiccup asked, peering over Astrid's shoulder to see the pedal. They had finally gotten into the air and were coasting above the clouds in the sunshine.

"There is a little catch on it." Astrid explained, moving her foot out of the way and using her hand. "So after I push it all the way down, it opens it, it stays in place, so to close it-" Astrid made a noise as she pressed on the trigger with her pointer finger. The tail fin snapped shut, and the three of them plummeted several hundred feet, before Astrid got her foot back on the pedal to re-open the fin.

"I release it, and control it by rocking the pedal up and down." Astrid contines, as if nothing happened. Toothless protested with a noisy growl, pushing down in strong wing strokes to rise back up to where they were. Hiccup cursed and readjusted himself on the back of the saddle.

"Thor, Astrid." He mutters. A few moments later, he added; "But that is really neat. I'm not smart enough to come up with something like that."

"Oh, you don't give yourself enough credit." Astrid pffts.

"It's the truth!" He insists, making a broad gesture with his hands. "People only like me 'cause I can fight dragons. And I'm a smooth talker." He drops his chin onto Astrid's shoulder in a defeated manner.

"Ouch!" She yelps as his hard chin digs into the tender flesh above her clavicle.

"Sorry." Hiccups mutters.

"But!" Astrid hurries to say, "That's not true! See, my dad likes you because of those reasons, and because he thinks you have a good work ethic, you're strong, you contribute to the village, you, you, ya know."

"No, I don't _ya know."_ He says sarcastically.

"Don't you start with me to-" Hiccup cuts Astrid off by clamping a hand over he mouth. She freezes for a moment, then squirms in his strong grip, making muffled sounds beneath Hiccup's palm.

"Shh!" He shushes her, pointing to a shape taking form through the clouds ahead of them. Hiccup removes his hand and Astrid gasps.

"Get down!" She hisses, laying herself flat along Toothless's neck. The dragon seemed to take notice now, a low, apprehensive growl forming in his throat.

"Another one!" Hiccup points.

Suddenly, a Flightmare appears next to them. The huge dragon holds a struggling deer in its claws. Hiccup scoots forward, placing a protective hand on Astrid's back. Toothless growls, his gaze flicking nervously back and forth as more and more dragons appear all around them, Gronkles, Nadders, Monstrous Nightmares, Scauldrons, even a Whispering Death.

They all seem to be flying in the same direction, all are carrying food. Astrid swallowed stiffly, fear racing its way through her blood.

"Get us out of here, bud." She whispered to Toothless. The dragon seemed to be getting more and more agitated by the second. The drone of buzzing wings and the snarls of dragons all around them makes Astrid's head spin. Now completely surrounded by dragons of all shapes and sizes, flying out of the area seemed impossible.

"What is going on?" Hiccup whispers.

"No idea. But Toothless doesn't seem to like it." Toothless shoke his head and growled at a Nadder that swooped too close. It immediately darted out of the way, squawking in alarm.

Then whole group then started to descend from the clouds, the shape of a huge mountain appearing from the mist.

"Where are we?"

"Where no Viking has even been before, that's for sure." Hiccup mused, taking in the landscape. The sea was rough here, and the sun couldn't quite seem to penetrate through the fog, giving the area a dusky, haunted feel. Towers of rock lay in the water, jutting up at odd angles, and white bits were scattered all about.

"What are all those?" Astrid whispered, pointing to a large stack of the white objects. Hiccup followed her finger, squinting.

"No. No." He shook his head.

"What? What is it?" Astrid asked, craning her neck to look at him. His brow was knit in concern, his eyes dark.

"Dragon bones…" Astrid heart skipped a beat as she looked again, this time, making out shapes of skulls amid the rocks.

"Oh Thor." She breathed, stroking Toothless's neck. She looked up when she heard a buzzing, vibrating noise right by her head. The little things below Toothless's ears, were quaking. Astrid had never known the purpose of them, and had never seen them do anything. Until now.

Toothless tossed his head back and forth, grunting and buzzing. He looked incredibly uncomfortable, as if he was fighting with someone inside his own head.

"Easy boy." Astrid murmured, more scared then she had been ever before. Then they started to rise again, gliding up the rough side of the mountain. The teens looked up, seeing a hole, about halfway up, where all the dragons were disappearing into. Astrid heard Hiccup gulp.

"It's okay. Toothless will get us out of here." Astrid insisted, not believing herself though.

"What is _here?"_ For that, she had no answer.

They were helpless on the back of the Nightfury, liable only to his actions. The dragons surrounding them seemed to get hyper aware the closer they got to the hole. They stopped squabbling with each other, their gazes solely focused on the opening in the stone. Toothless continues to fight the urge to hone in like the others, growling and lashing his head back and forth.

Astrid had no idea what to do. She felt responsible for Hiccup, like this was her fault. He wouldn't be here if not for her, but she was glad he was here. He helped her stay calm and in control. He gave her a sense of security, even if it was false. _What could he do if all these dragons turned on us?_

Then they were swooping into the cliffside, plunging into darkness for several seconds. Then, an eerie red glow lit the walls, revealing hundreds upon hundred of eyes staring blankly out. The dragons that accompanied them began to take shape the further in they went, and the brighter the light got.

"This is the Dragon Nest!" Astrid hissed. Hiccup gasped. He hunkered down lower behind her. They went around around another curve in the broad tunnel and were in a large open area. Astrid spotted a ledge a little ways along the wall the the right, and directed Toothless there. It took him several seconds to respond, flying stiffly up towards the open spot.

Once they landed, Hiccup and Astrid sat up slightly, looking around with wide eyes. Dragons of all shapes and sizes clung to walls, seeming to shrink back from the pit in the middle. Astrid leaned forward, straining to see down into it. The red light glowed up from it, but a mist of sorts blocked her view.

"They just dump all the food down the hole!" Hiccup exclaimed, his voice tight as he struggled to keep it down. Astrid looked, and sure enough, all the dragons flew quickly out to the center, dropped what they were carrying, and hurried away, hiding amongst the rocks. Astrid watched sheep, fish, deer, chickens, even other dead dragons plummet into the pit.

After watching for a few moments, a group of about a half dozen Gronkles buzzed through the tunnel. They seemed rather relaxed compared to the others. The whole group dropped a fish. A single fish. A few seconds passed, and as the group turned to leave, the light flared brightly, and all the dragons began to shriek. Toothless roared, shooting off a blast and cowered back, spitting. A huge dragon's head rose from the pit, parting the mist and fog as a gigantic mouth opened. The sound of the dragons was ear splittingly loud. It echoed off the stone walls, louder and louder as the mouth closed around all six Gronkles silently, dropping back down into the pit with measured speed.

Astrid pressed herself back into Hiccup, who was leaning back into the wall.

"What was that?" He hissed as the fog whirled as the beast receded, disappearing back into the redness.

"Their leader." Astrid whispered, trying to calm Toothless. Chaos ensued. Dragons swooped every which way, screeching and running into each other, some unfortunate ones not able to find their wings again before plummeting into the hole, to their inevitable deaths.

"Go Toothless!" Astrid yelled, urging the Nightfury into the fray. In a mad dash to get out through the tunnel, various dragons slammed into them, crushing Astrid's leg against the wall and impeding Toothless's wings. Every dragon was in a rush to leave, not caring who they ran into.

Finally they broke out into the air, joining the spiral of thousands to get into the sky. Dragons still called out, their cries sounding out into the distance and they all flew straight up, struggling to break through the fog that shrouded the mountain.

Toothless panted with effort at his flew hard, pulling them up higher and higher, until the broke the barrier, into the thin air above the clouds, painted orange with the evening sun. Only then did Toothless's flaps stop quivering, only then did he give one more determined shake of his head, as if the clear away the memory of the incident.

Hiccup fired off a string of curses, causing Astrid to flinch. She stroked Toothless ears until he offered a little purr, letting Astrid know he was alright.

"Do you know what this means!?" Hiccup cried, throwing out his hands.

"What?" Astrid asked, sensing she wouldn't like his answer.

"This is what we've been searching for Astrid! Since the dawn of Vikings! The Nest! Now we can take down the dragons, once and for all!" He yelled sounding absolutely thrilled.

"Are you insane?" Astrid cried, whipping around in the saddle. "Did you even _see_ that thing?"

"Of course I did! That's why I'm so, so _excited!"_ He said, his eyes bright as he took Astrid's shoulders and shook her. "It's immobile. We just have to clear out the rest of dragons, which they just did themselves, and then _bam!"_

Astrid shoved off Hiccup's hands. "We can't tell anyone about this!" Astrid yelled at him. He raised his eyebrows.

"Astrid, this is-"

"I know what it is! It's the Dragon Nest!" She didn't know how to make him understand. "Only a dragon could find it, so how do you think we will tell Stoick about it? Say we just _stumbled_ into it?"

Hiccup's face fell, but only for a second. "Well, obviously Toothless would have to lead us back here!"

"You are unbelievable Hiccup! Think! Do you know what my Father would do to get his hands on a Nightfury? He'd kill Toothless without a thought."

"Well, not if we just explain what is going on."

"My Father isn't a man that listens to explanations." Astrid drops her head to Toothless's neck, hugging him close.

"Astrid, this is different. He just needs to meet Toothless and then-"

"Do even remember what happened when _you_ met Toothless? He almost killed you!"

"Well, this is different." He insists.

"No, it isn't Hiccup." Astrid replies quietly. "I won't do that Toothless."

Hiccup didn't respond for awhile. He tapped his fingers on the back of the saddle. They flew in silence, the adrenaline burning off, leaving them feeling exhausted. The sun was on the way down, but it's was not sunset yet, only late afternoon.

Astrid felt hopeless, her idea of fleeing with Toothless floating around in her mind. It was beginning to look like the only solution to all of her woes. She wouldn't risk staying on Berk with Toothless. He wasn't safe there.

"If it means that much to you, I won't say anything." Hiccup says as Berk comes into view. Astrid sits up, holding her breath.

"You really mean it?" She asked very quietly, not wanting to make Hiccup retract his statement.

"Yes." He says firmly. "I've been thinking about what you said earlier, about how Toothless has brought out a different side in you, and I can see how much he means to you, and I- I-" He pauses as Astrid turns around in the saddle, switching her legs to the other side and facing him. "Astrid?" He asks, sounding nervous.

Astrid breaks into a grin. "Thank you Hiccup." She beams, feeling the sudden urge to kiss him. The orange light shines warmly on them as their faces met. Hiccup startles, jumping slightly, causing Astrid to draw back slightly.

"Hey." He murmurs. Astrid keeps her eyes closed, hoping she didn't just ruin their newfound friendship. "I didn't know you had it in you." He chuckles.

"What does-" He cuts her off, returning to the kiss. Toothless grumbles, shaking his shoulders.

Astrid didn't know how sweet Hiccup could be. He slid one hand onto her lower back, the other under her chin, tipping her face up slightly. Her heart beat quickly in her throat. Before she could stop herself, both of her hands were on Hiccup's face, cupping his chin. He exhaled heavily through his nose, pulling away slowly.

The two young Vikings blushed at each other. Astrid tucks her chin into her shoulder, squirming in her seat as she turns back around. Hiccup places his hands on her hips to steady her, but suddenly the action feels as if it has a different meaning.

"C'mon Astrid." Hiccup teases, his lips tickling her ear. "I guess that's payment for almost getting me killed."

"Oh, you." She says, whacking him on the arm, shaking her head as her grin returns. She starts closing the tail fin and they swoop lower over the woods, circling the ravine a couple times, before Toothless folds his wings and drops, coming to a running stop on the packed dirt.

Hiccup takes her hand as she slides off the Nightfury's back, not letting go as they start up the trail, back towards the village.

 **AN_**

 **Whoa! That was a long one! Sorry if it was longer than anyone would have liked, but it couldn't split it up.**

 **This is probably my favorite chapter in the whole story. (Probably because it has the most Hiccstrid, but who's keeping track of that anyways?) I just love it. Ahh.**

 **One thing I want to address though, is that hiccup is not meant to have the same personality as he does in the franchise. This is how his character** **would have been shaped and changed if he had grown up in a Berk where he was accepted and praised by Stoick and everyone else. He still has some of the nervous quirkiness, but he is self-confident now. :)**

 **The same goes for Astrid. She is still her headstrong self, but has that underlying doubt instilled in her by a poor family relationship.**

 **I hoped you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

 **-Birch66724**


	12. Chapter XII

Astrid gasped. "They're back!" She yelled, breaking away from Hiccup and tearing down the cobblestone street towards the Great Hall.

"Astrid!" Hiccup called after her. The smoke billowing up from the large building signaled the return of the fleet. The fire had been out the past week and a half whilst they were away.

"We are going to be in trouble if they are already done unloading the ships." Astrid mutters, slowing down to catch her breath before entering the Hall. Hiccup nods in agreement, holding the door open for her.

The air inside is smokey from the grand fire along the back wall, and it smells of roast boar. The atmosphere isn't one of joy, nor one of sadness. Anyone could tell that they hadn't managed to find the Dragon Nest.

Astrid and Hiccup wound they way between groups of chatting women, men with mugs of mead and small children playing tag, darting around their father's legs and hiding behind their mother's skirts.

They found the twins and Snotlout standing near the back of the Great Hall, near the fire.

"Hey! Where did you two get off to? I couldn't find you after I swam the treacherous waters to rescue my helmet." He elbowed Astrid. "Pride of the family. Lucky I was there to save this precious heirloom."

"Wow. Cool." Astrid replied blandly. He twitched his brows.

"You guys should have seen the ships that came back." Tuffnut said animatedly.

"The ones that made it." Ruffnut countered darkly.

"Not all the ships made it back?" Hiccup asked concernedly, taking the words straight from Astrid's mouth.

"No! Three got blasted by a Scauldron just off the shore of Pinetop Island. That's why they turned back"

"Did everyone make it?" Astrid asked then, interrupting Tuffnut before he launched into a description of how awesome the splintered boats looked.

"Yeah I think so." Ruffnut answered her, looking bored. She flipped one of her thick braids over her shoulder. "When's the boar done? I'm starving!" She yelled at her brother, who shrugged, returning to his conversation with Snotlout.

Astrid and Hiccup shared a look. Pinetop Island wasn't very far from the Mountain.

"Lucky that Scauldron got them. No one would have survived had they reached the Nest." Astrid whispered to Hiccup. He nodded in agreement, his expression solemn.

Everyone in the Hall fell silent as someone banged a sword on a shield. All eyes turned to Stoick as he stood on a platform by the door to address his people. He looked tired, his beard an unkempt mess and deep bags under his eyes.

"Listen here citizens of Berk." He started, looking around the large room. His eyes fell on Astrid, but didn't linger for more than a second. It didn't bother her. She was used to being her Father's last priority.

"As you all have probably heard by now, we were forced to turn back when two of our ships were destroyed by a Scauldron."

"I thought you said three?" Snotlout pushed Tuffnut. The boy shrugged, shoving Snotlout back.

"But, we took it as a sign that we were close to the Dragon Nest. I am certain the Nest is not much more North of Pinetop Island. Once we rebuild the ships and regather the supplies, we will head back out, with a larger fleet. We will find the Nest, and we will take it out!" He boomed through the space, driving his axe into a table at his final words.

All the assembled Vikings cheered, toasting mugs and shaking weapons in the air. The walls rattled with the din, and Astrid felt the blood drain from her face. She shook Hiccup's arm, feeling dizzy. He said something to her that she could hear. He took by the shoulders and led her from the Great Hall, into the cool evening air.

"Astrid?" He asked, tipping her face up. She pulled away, pacing a few steps before turning back.

"What are we going to do?" She hissed, her eyes wide with fear. "Oh, Hiccup, we really messed up this time."

"Messed up?" He asked, confused. "We haven't done anything. No one knows anything."

"But, but-" Astrid struggled to find the words to make Hiccup understand the intense fear she was feeling. "We can't let them go again! They have no idea what they're up against!"

"Okay. Okay." Hiccup soothed. "We'll figure it out. Some way to tell them. It will be at least a week before they are ready to go again." He spoke sensibly, efficiently calming Astrid. She stopped pacing.

"Thank Thor someone has a brain around here."

Hiccup laughed. "We all know you are smarter than me."

"Astrid!" A loud voice boomed from up the road. "Get up here and say hello to me!" The pair turned and watched Stoick spread his thick arms wide and started down the road. Astrid walked up to meet him, letting him pull her into a crushing hug. She wondered if it was only because most of the village was standing just a few feet away.

"Hi Dad. Welcome back." She greeted him, her back cracking under the pressure of his strong arms.

"I hear you are quite a little star in the arena?" He pushed her back to arms length.

 _So that's why._ Astrid thought, shrugging.

"Well, I'll see for myself tomorrow. If Gothi chooses you." He says, stepping back and crossing his arms over his chest.

Astrid's heart sunk to her stomach, thinking about the event tomorrow. Everyone was back to see the best recruit kill their first dragon in the arena.

"How was the journey, sir?" Hiccup asked Stoick, averting the attention from Astrid. She shot him a thankful glance as Stoick gripped his hand in a broad shake.

"Good. Good. Perhaps you'll be joining us next time?" He boomed, his demanding presence drawing the focus of everyone around.

Hiccup seemed taken aback by the question. "Oh, uh I don't know."

"Good lad you, Hiccup. Couldn't be any harder than looking after Astrid here." Stoick elbowed the young Viking, who laughed uncomfortably and rubbed his side.

"Astrid was no trouble at all, sir." Astrid knew Hiccup didn't want to talk about her as if she wasn't right there, but he had to go along with Stoick.

"Ah, no, she isn't. But, you seem to have rubbed off on her lad? Real natural with the dragons is she now?"

"Yes, yes she is." Hiccup says warmly, glancing back at her with a little smile.

"Well, I see you all tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it!"

"Of course! You should be." Hiccup ran his hand over the back of his neck. Stoick gave the teenager one last good natured shove, and headed back inside.

Astrid stepped back closer to Hiccup as her father disappeared into the crowd.

"You wouldn't go with them, would you?" She asked worriedly, looking up at him.

"Not if you didn't want me to." He replied.

Astrid scoffed and shook her head.

"I'm serious!" He insisted.

"O-kay!" Astrid said, walking back into the Great Hall to get some food. She laughed with Hiccup as they grabbed a couple of plates, thanking the women who served them, and took a seat by the others.

Tuffnut held a boar leg in one hand, taking big bites out of it and swinging it around the table as he described a Timberjack that he swore he saw in the woods the other day to a skeptical Fishlegs.

"Tuffnut, if there was a Timberjack on Berk, we would have seen the cut down trees." Fishlegs explained. The stout boy had joined the group while Astrid and Hiccup were outside.

"No, no! Not this one! Because this one, had um, it had the trees for the wings!"

"Yeah, it cut down so many trees that it's wings became the trees." Ruffnut backed her brother up.

"Nice." He headbutted her.

Astrid ate quietly as she watched the rest of the table interact. The twins kept coming up with wild tales and speaking through mouthfuls of food, Fishlegs kept trying to reason with them in his gentle demeanor, and Snotlout kept trying to challenge Hiccup to various activities, such as; chugging a mug of yak milk, launching beans into other people's dishes, breaking boar bones with his bare hands, and a variety of other things of equal stupidity.

After the meal was finished, the group of teens slipped out the back before they were forced to wash dishes or something.

"Who do you think Gothi is going to choose?" Snotlout asked as they wandered down towards the docks. Astrid and Hiccup had wanted to see the destroyed boats.

"Um, duh. Hiccup obviously." Tuffnut said.

"Well, actually, I think Astrid has just as good of a shot. She's subdued the highest quantity of dragons." Fishlegs objected, pointing a finger in the air.

"Ha, no. It'll be Hiccup for sure." Astrid said quickly, bumping into the boy walking next to her. He looked sad almost, slightly frowning down at her.

"Well, if that old bat had half a mind, she would choose me." Snotlout yelled loudly. That sort of seemed to be the boy's only volume. He jumped in front of the group. Pointing to himself and walking backwards as he elaborated . "I have the greatest _promise._ "

"I, I don't think that's what she's looking for Snotlout."

"Quiet, Hiccup! Just because I didn't exactly showcase my skills in the arena, I show them elsewhere." He turned back around, strutting down the cobblestone.

"Please, do share." Astrid encouraged him.

"Share what?"

"Your skills? The ones that you showcase elsewhere?"

"Oh! Well, about that. I can't. Because that would be like giving away my secrets and then you guys would steal my techniques."

"Trust us. We wouldn't want to." Ruffnut snickered.

"Ah, but that is where you are wrong, my fair maiden." Snotlout said grandly.

"Do I look like a _fair_ maiden to you?" Ruffnut growled, punching one fist into her palm.

"No, of course not!" Snotlout backtracked quickly.

"What are you say Snotlout? That my sister is like a man?" Tuffnut imitates his sister's posture.

"Woah, woah." Snotlout tries to talk his way out of his mess. Not exactly his strong suit.

Hiccup, Astrid and Fishlegs cover their mouths to keep the twins from seeing them laugh as they trailed behind.

"Okay, look _buddy-"_ Tuffnut starts.

"Hey, is that the boat?" Astrid shouts and runs between the boys, pointing down to the dock.

"Nooo, Astrid. That is just the destroyed boat we keep around for fun." Snotlout snarks.

"Watch yourself!" Hiccup says, raising his eyebrows at the black haired boy.

"Oh-o-o! What do we have here?" Snotlout asks.

"Drop it." Hiccup growls. Astrid pretends she doesn't hear the conversation happening behind her, instead following Ruffnut down the stairs.

"Alright man!" Snotlout's voice rises higher, and Astrid smirks, knowing Hiccup must have just threatened the boy.

"Okay look at it!" Tuffnut shouts, his anger seemingly forgotten. "Tell me that this isn't totally awesome."

"It is pretty cool." Astrid agrees, looking over the splintered ship. It seemed a wonder that is was still afloat, as half of the hull was blasted out. The sails were torn and the deck was folded in on itself. The Berk crest on the side of the boat was half scrapped off.

"Makes me nervous." Hiccup mutters. Standing close to Astrid.

"You don't need to go back with them." Astrid turns to him with wide eyes. He just frowns and looks out over the dark water. The sun had set, but it was still dusk outside. Soon the long shadows would fade into complete darkness. A pair of men walked along the dock behind them, lighting the huge bowls of fire that dotted the shore of Berk every night.

"Get back to the village kids!" One of them called gruffly. Grumbling, the six teens started back up the stairs.

"I guess we'll all see each other tomorrow." Fishlegs said as they stood in a group at the top of the steps catching their breaths.

"Yeah…" Astrid mumbled.

"Best of luck!" Ruffnut said loudly, turning up the hill to her house with her brother, who offered a small wave. Fishlegs followed them, and Snotlout turned and walked down the coastline, on the planks laid over the fjords and deep gullies in the cliffside.

Astrid sat down heavily on the top step, putting her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. Her heart thumped heavily in her chest, anxiety eating away at her.

"What's wrong?" Hiccup murmured, sitting next to her.

"You already know." Astrid said dully, digging the toe of her boot into a crack in the wooden step.

"Don't think about it." He suggested.

"How do you suppose I do that?" She turned on him. He visibly retracted. "Oh, I'm sorry Hiccup. You know I don't mean it. But if Gothi picks me, there is no way I can kill a dragon."

"It'll be okay." Hiccup assured her, leaning into her arm. His skin was warm despite the chill in the evening air. Astrid throat tightened up, making her breathing rough and shallow.

The two sat there for a long time. Long enough for the sound of the waves to dim into their nighttime lull, for the moon to rise to the middle of the sky, and for all of the stars to pepper the black sky.

"Hiccup?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"No problem, Astrid."

 **AN_**

 **Hello my lovely readers! Not much action in this chapter, but just you wait for Chapter 13. :)**

 **I just want to say again how grateful I am for all of the views and the follows! I never imagined that I would have so many on my first story for this fandom. And the reviews, they have all been so nice and sweet, so please feel free to leave one! It makes my whole day to read your guys' kind words!**

 **-Birch66724**


	13. Chapter XIII

The crowd roared wildly. Astrid stood, a thin sheen of sweat forming on her brow. The early afternoon sun beat down with unseasonal intensity, and the air positively buzzed with anticipation. Between lulls in the crowds' cheering, one could hear the sounds of claws gouging wood and deadly roaring of an enraged Monstrous Nightmare.

Astrid stood on the end of the line of recruits, Hiccup on her right. Gobber stood behind them, the ceremonial axe held in his good hand. It was time for the elder to decide which of the recruits it would be to kill their first dragon.

Looking up, Astrid could see Stoick sitting forward in his Chiefly chair, Gothi standing beside him with her staff. The old woman waved the elegantly carved stick around, calming the crowd in a matter of seconds. Stoick stood and presented each of the recruits, then nodded for Gobber to begin.

He held the axe over Ruffnut's head. Gothi shook her head. The same for her brother. Then a no for Fishlegs, and a no for Snotlout. Astrid swallow dryly as Gobber stood behind Hiccup. He lifted his head proudly to the Chief and the elder, but received a shake of the head from Gothi.

Astrid stomach sank to her toes. Hiccup brushed his hand over her shoulders as he walked quickly from the arena. Astrid's eyes flicked anxiously over the crowd and landed on her father. He looked so excited, but held it in until Gothi nodded her approval, pointing her staff at Astrid. She hadn't even realized the axe had been held over her head.

"That's my daughter!" Stoick boomed, the only time he had public admitted her was related to Astrid. The crowd cheered even louder than before and men came up to Stoick and clapped him on the back. People banged on the metal net enclosing the arena with axe handles and clubs, making the air resound with a metallic clang that rung in Astrid's ears.

"Come." Gobber beconded Astrid and she felt as if her knees were going to buckle as she walked after him, from the arena in to the entrance gate where Hiccup stood waiting for her. He pulled her into a hug, not caring who saw in that moment.

"I won't let anything hurt you." He whispered fiercely in her ear. Astrid just nodded, not really hearing him.

The thought suddenly occurred to her. "Promise me you'll take care of Toothless!" She spoke, pulling back to look into Hiccup's deep green eyes.

"It won't come to that." He insisted, releasing her.

"Get outta here lad!" Gobber shook his hook at Hiccup, but her had a faintly amused smile on his mouth. Hiccup scampered up the incline, glancing back at Astrid once more before rounding the corning and sitting with the rest of the recruits.

"Astrid?" Gobber asked, trying to get her attention from the stone on the ground that Astrid had been staring at. "You'll do great lass." He assured her, clasping her shoulder roughly.

"Here's your shield." He handed a plain brown round shield to her, turning her around and sending her back into the arena. The gathered Vikings whooped and hollered, itching to see the battle.

Someone had pushed a table of assorted weapons into the space. Astrid walked up and selected only a small blade. She tucked it into her belt, adjusting her hold on the shield. The shape of the knife reminded her of the one that Stoick had given her before he left. The one she had tossed into the lake to gain Toothless's trust. _What I wouldn't give to be up on Toothless's back right now._ Astrid thought wistfully. She hadn't been able to go see the Nightfury that morning. Her Father had been around the house.

"Get into the center!" Gobber yelled over the noise of the crowd, hobbling over to the gate that held back the Monstrous Nightmare. Astrid walked with slow deliberate steps, mainly focusing on not tripping over her own feet, her eyes trained on the ground. _Like I need to worry about embarrassing myself over tripping._ She thought scornfully.

"Okay! Ready!" Gobber called, hoisting up the huge door, and ducking behind it as a huge red dragon leapt out. It roared and shot off a blast of fire into the air, sending an entire side of the crowd stumbling backwards to avoid getting burned.

Astrid's heart hammered in her throat as the dragon came to halt and looked around, it's eyes narrowed menacingly. It spotted her, it's yellow eyes closed to slits, honing in on it's target. Dark gnarled horns raised as the Monstrous Nightmare lowered his nose to the dirt. Astrid felt nailed to the ground, and she knew she must look like a Terrible Terror caught in the torchlight.

The great beast growled, drawing up another blast and opening up its mouth to fire off the shot. Astrid ducked and rolled, missing the fireball by a fine margin.

"Oh Thor, pray for me." She whispered, struggling back to her feet and hoisting up the shield. The dragon snarled, it's teeth sticking from it's jaw at every angle, looking like hooks ready to pierce Astrid like a fish.

Arching its back and cracking open its mouth, the Monstrous Nightmare lit itself on fire. It shook its head nonchalantly, then started to prowl towards Astrid. She gasped, running full tilt around the perimeter of the arena, holding the shield behind her. The dragon pursued her, one wing brushing the back of Astrid's calf as it hauled its huge body after her. Astrid couldn't keep the scream of pain from erupting from her mouth as she felt the back of her pants melt into the tender flesh of her left calf.

"Attach it!" She heard her father bellow. She glanced back at the Nightmare, its mouth open in anticipation, liquid flame bubbling just behind its tongue. Astrid yelped and dove beneath the weapons table just in time. The shot sent swords, axes, bludgeons, knives and splinters of flaming wood in all directions. The table was disintegrated and weapons in the direct blast melted into puddles of silver.

Scrambling to her feet, Astris tried to force the thought of her body after one of those blasts from her mind. The dragon was tossing its head angrily, whipping its deadly teeth from side to side, taking in the Vikings looking at it. It roared, shooting flames all around wildly, trying to escape.

Astrid knew he was just as terrified as she was, but there was no way she was going to get through to him with all of the noise and distractions coming in from every direction. Not to mention that he was currently on fire.

Setting her jaw, Astrid knew the fight wasn't going to be over until one of them was dead. Biting her cheek, Astrid tried to think of a way that it wouldn't be her. Coming up with nothing, and with the Nightmare's attention focused back on her, Astrid was out of options. She hurled the knife at the dragon, slicing the side of its face.

 _Bad idea. Bad idea._ She screamed inside her head, turning on her heel and darting across the arena and the dragon roared in infuration, drawing up another deadly blast. Astrid tripped over a sword that had been thrown in to middle of the arena.

Her breath coming in short terrified pants, she rolled over to her back, tugged the shield over herself and trying to shuffle away. Astrid knew in that moment there was no time left. The Nightmare was upon her, its hot breath cascading over her. Astrid was still on the ground, defenseless. She heard someone scream her name.

Astrid couldn't hold it in anymore. She screamed, squeezing shut her eyes as she smelled burning flesh. _Make it quick, Gods._ She prayed, tucking her legs up to her chest.

Everything happened so fast then. A brilliant blast of blue lit up the air, and the heat was gone from over Astrid. Her shield was ripped with it, and the crowd went silent for a split second.

Time slowed to a stop. _No, no, no._ Astrid begged. _Please no._

There he was. Her precious Nightfury, fighting the Monstrous Nightmare to save her. His sleek black body arched as he bared down on the red dragon, kicking him way and circling. The Nightmare screeched. Toothless fired off another blast and time resumed.

"Nightfury!" Someone screamed. People began to pour into the arena, jumping over the wall and swinging their weapons at Toothless. Astrid froze for a split second.

Jumping to her feet, she started to scream. "Don't hurt him! Toothless! Stop!" Her voice cracked. She ran forwards, screaming her throat raw.

"Stop! Don't hurt him!" Astrid tasted the metallic tang on blood on her tongue. "Toothless!" Just as she was about to reach him, something held her back. She bucked and kicked, but someone was holding her by the elbows.

"Stop!" Astrid cried, her voice fading, her fight fading. "Toothless…" She whispered. She sagged into the arms of her restrainer. Looking at her best friend, writhing on the ground as a whole horde of Vikings held him down, a knife to his throat. They must have seen the saddle and equipment on him and not killed him right then and there.

She glanced back. Hiccup was holding her up. _Who else would it be?_ He wore a dark expression, his eyes deeply troubled. Astrid looked away, not wanting him to meet her gaze.

Then Stoick was there. Everyone watched as he walked in a slow circle around the subdued Nightfury, then stalked up to his daughter. He looked down at her for a long time, and for the first time, she glared right back at him.

"What is the meaning of this?" He said, his voice deadly calm. Astrid didn't answer. She just righted herself on her feet.

"Get her out of here." Stoick told Hiccup. Hiccup dipped his head and led Astrid from the arena, having to physically restrain her again from running back to Toothless.

"Chain this dragon up! Tie his mouth shut and put him in a cage!" Stoick boomed to to silent staring gathering of Viking. They all blinked, then scurried into action. Astrid made one more painstaking glance back and watched as they forced a cruel wooden collar over Toothless's face, his green eyes wide with fear and pain.

"Toothless…" Astrid breathed, letting Hiccup pick her up and carry her up the hill, her outstretched arm dangling helplessly over his shoulder.

 ******* How Astrid Trains Your Dragon*******

Astrid sat at a kitchen chair, staring at the grain of the wood, her mind blank. She couldn't feel the pain in her burned leg, or the gash on her upper arm. She couldn't see the boy sitting across the table form her, drumming his fingers anxiously on the table. She couldn't hear his words when he tried to talk to her.

She did hear, however, the door slam open. She did hear the chair hit the floor after it tipped over backwards in Hiccup's rush to stand.

"Wait outside." Stoick commanded. Astrid looked up. Hiccup glanced regretfully at her, hesitating with his fingers on the handle. "Now!"

Astrid stood, turning her face up to met her Father's. She wasn't prepared for the harshness he saw there. The cold darkness radiating off him in waves.

"What was it all? In the arena before? A trick?" He demanded, gripping the back of a chair so hard Astrid thought the wood might splinter.

"They told me so many great things, I thought you might actually be someone Astrid." He said. Astrid bit her cheek.

"I messed up." She admitted, not moving. "I should have said something, before now."

"Damn right you should've!" He boomed, rattling the small dishes on the shelf above the fire.

"Be mad at me! Take it out on me! Please, don't hurt Toothless!" Astrid begged, hating the way her voice sounded as she pleaded with her father.

"The dragon? You've given it a bloody name?" He made a gastly expression, sweeping his arms out. "I shouldn't have expected anything else! Of course it's like you to worry about a _dragon_ over people you almost just killed!"

"It's not like that! He was just protecting me!"

"They have killed hundreds of us Vikings, Astrid! That very dragon killed your mother!" Stoick's voice softened every so slightly at the mention of his late wife.

"No!" Astrid insisted. "They are just trying to protect themselves! They only attach us to keep form getting killed! If they don't bring enough food back, they, they get-"

"So you've been to the Nest?" Stoick's expression hardening right back up again, like ice taking over the shallow sea in the winter. Astrid realized she'd said too much too late. She breathed heavily, trying to think of a way out.

"I-"

"How did you find it? Where is it?" He stared her down.

"I didn't find it! Only a dragon can find it!" She pleaded, hoping her father would give in. Astrid should have known better, watching a strange light take over his face.

"Dad! No! You have no idea what you are up against! You won't-"

Stoick started for the door, Astrid ran after him, grabbing his arm. He whipped open the door and shoved Astrid back. She gasped as she fell on her burned leg, white hot pain seeping up to her hip.

"Please listen to me! You can't do this!" She followed him outside. Hiccup stood silently, his concern evident on his face.

"Quiet Astrid!" He turned on her. "You've sided with _them."_ He seethed the word through bared teeth. "You're not a Viking. You're not my daughter." He stormed off, calling out to ready the ships and load supplies.

His words his Astrid like a blow to the stomach. She staggered back, breathing heavily, grabbing onto the open door. Pressure built behind Astrid's eyes, blurring her vision.

"Astrid?" Hiccup called, coming to her. Stoick turned from the end of the walkway, glaring at her.

"Hiccup!" He shouted. The boy turned his head. "Come!" It was not a request. Hiccup looked torn, glancing between Astrid and Stoick as the Chief stalked off.

"Astrid." He whispered, pulling her upright. She shook her head, breaking her own heart.

"Go." She murmured, turned her back on Hiccup, limping back into the kitchen.

"I'll be back!" He promised, his voice throaty and thick. Astrid couldn't manage another word. She knew the tears would start to flow. She stood still, facing into the kitchen, her back turned to Hiccup and her father.

It was a painstakingly long minute before she heard Hiccup's footsteps receding, walking slowly at first, then picking up speed as he ran to catch up to Stoick.

Astrid slammed shut the door, sinking to the floor, her leg in agonizing pain, but her heart hurt more. _I have lost everything._ Ashtrid thought, finally giving in to the hot tears pressing behind her eyes, letting them slip silently down her cheeks and onto the floor.

 **AN_**

 **The moment you've all been waiting for, the big fight! I don't quite know if I've done it justice, but I gave it my best shot. I hope you enjoyed reading it, and thank you for doing so!**

 **This weekend, How To Train Your Dragon 3 came out in the United States, and it was my intention to go, but sadly, the weather prevented it. There was freezing rain all Saturday, which made travel extremely dangerous and the closest movie theater to my house is over 40 miles away. Then, we received 12 inches of snow overnight and all day today, it's been blowing and drifting all over the place.**

 **I'm disappointed, but perhaps we'll go next weekend! :)**

 **If you want to cheer me up though, consider leaving a review...? Thanks!**

 **-Birch66724**


	14. Chapter XIIII

The line of sun from the crack in the door had moved from the edge of the ceiling to the middle of the stovepipe. It shone on the ashy soot that encrusted the black metal tube, sparking in the dim kitchen.

Astrid's eyes were dry, her face feeling stiff from the salty tears which had flowed over her cheeks. Her arm had ceased bleeding, leaving behind a small ,deep red splotch on the wooden floor. Her leg on the other hand, it oozed and throbbed, a severe dull pulse every time Astrid's heart beat. She glanced down at it, seeing large blisters forming behind the taught yellow skin. Astrid cringed, groaning as she shifted her weight off her numb right foot.

 _What am I doing?_ She thought angrily. _Who am I am? I don't sit around and cry!_ Gritting her teeth, she pulled herself to her feet, hissing breath through clenched teeth as she hobbled stiffly into the washroom. Pulling down a basket from the shelf, Astrid lost her stance and fell the the ground, landing heavily on her backside.

"It's okay." She muttered, grabbing a roll of bandage before it rolled out of reach. "I've got this." She continued to murmur encouragements to herself as she fetched a small pot of creme. It was all dried up. Astrid cursed, tossing the pot aside.

"I don't need that. I just need to get this burn covered up." Astrid growled in frustration, craning her knee so she could see the back of her leg. Her eyes widened at the sight of her black pants matted into the skin, threads hanging straight from the skin, crusted with pus and blood. .

"Okay. Okay." Her voice shook. Her eyes darted wildly around, trying to come up with something. She spotted a small towel. "I just have to-" She hissed, pulling herself back up. "-to get it wet. Soak it off."

Back out to the kitchen she went, pumping some water into the basin and dipping the rag in. She didn't ring it out, just dropped to dripping cloth onto her calf. The cold water stung, but soothed the burn after a moment. Astrid stood for several minutes, rewetting the rag and dosing the leg, softening up the melted leggings and the dead skin.

"There we go. That's better." Astrid coaxed herself back to the floor, poising her hands over the torn black fabric. Her fingers shook. Of course she had been burned before, had been cut and wounded, but never like this. The entire back side of the leg was covered in boils and pain. It tugged at the forefront of Astrid's mind, making her vision cloud up and spin if she focused on it.

Taking the tip of her tongue between her teeth, she bit down until the pain rivaled that in her leg and a drop of blood trickled from the side of her mouth.

"One." She took a corner of fabric between the thumb and finger. "Two." She pulled it taught. "Three!" Astrid screamed, a ragged, animal sound. Her voice was already raw from her yelling after Toothless earlier.

The fabric tore rather than coming loose from her skin. Astrid stopped, panting, bearing down on the floor with both of her palms flat on the ground, her whole body rising and falling with her heavy breaths.

"Astrid!" The front door slammed open, showering the room in bright gold light. "Oh, what is going on!" Hiccup shouted, dropping to his knees beside her. Astrid looked up, seeing his face shrink back once his eyes landed on her leg.

"It's- it's not as bad as it looks." She tried to assure him. He shook his head, rocking back on his heels.

"We need to get you, to, um-" He stuttered, obviously at a loss.

"Where is Toothless?" Astrid asked, swiping the back of her hand across her mouth, trying to get the blood from her tongue away.

"He's uh, he's still locked in the arena." Hiccup stared at the red stain on Astrid's chin. He reached out, swiping it away with his thumb. Astrid shivered at his touch. Hiccup looked so worried and concerned, it almost made Astrid's eyes well up again.

Instead, she cleared her throat. "I need to go to him. I need to get him out of here." Astrid moved to stand. Hiccup pushed her back down.

"No!" He said firmly. "You can't. Your dad will know, and, and-"

"Hiccup!" Astrid interrupted his anxious stammering. "Help me up." He complied.

"I'll take you to Gothi. She'll have something for, for that." Astrid nodded. Hiccup supported her as they walked out the door.

"Where is my father?" Astrid asked, not wanting to run into him.

"Last I saw, down by the docks. He sent me back up to check on Toothless, but I heard you scream, and I…"

"Thanks, Hiccup." They cover the rest of the distance in silence, moving rather quickly considering Astrid's state. Up the winding slope to Gothi's hut, where she practiced healing.

The old woman frowned and shook her head at Astrid. She tisked, and turning into the small building. Hiccup set Astrid down on a cut log, then paced around, casting glances at the girl, back at Gothi and out down to the docks.

Gothi stumbled over to Astrid a minute or two later, gesturing for her to lay down. Gothi didn't speak, she communicated by scratching in the dirt with her staff, but very few people in the village could decipher her images.

Astrid laid awkwardly on her stomach so her injured calf was facing up. Hiccup came over the grabbed her hand when she groaned as Gothi spread something over the wound.

"Your pants are all like, burned into it!" Hiccup stated, cringing.

"Yeah, I know." Astrid said dryly. "Why do you think I was screaming?"

"Oh Thor." He breathed, looking away as Gothi began to tease the ruined material from the burn with skilled hands.

"When did Stoick say they were leaving?" Astrid asked, trying to distract both herself and Hiccup.

"Uh, I think um-" He paused when Astrid gripped his hand harder. "I think he wants to leave tomorrow, as soon as possible."

"Tomorrow?" Astrid asked incredulously. "Oh, Gods above, help me." She prayed, chewing her cheek as her mind started to race with what to do to prevent it.

"Astrid, I don't think there is anything you can do. You know your dad."

"There is _always_ something to do." She bit out, a tug from Gothi making it harsher than she intended.

"Okay, okay." Hiccup let her believe that, watching as Gothi dropped a swath of burned black fabric to the ground. The woman walked back and grabbed a pot, scooping out a glob of white creme and slathering it over Astrid's leg. She practically whined with relief as the cool creme soaked into the blisters.

"Feels better, huh?" Hiccup asked with his lopsided amused grin.

"Oh, yeah." Astrid sighed, sitting back up once Gothi had bandaged it tightly. The woman smiled sadly and dipped her head to Astrid,

"Thank you." Astrid said, starting back down the path. Gothi waved, turning and packing her things back up.

"Well, let me get you home, and into bed, You need to rest." Hiccup trailed her.

"Is your head filled with bees?" Astrid asked him, hurring down towards the arena on her new and improved leg. "I've got to get Toothless."

Hiccup stopped walking for a few paces. Astrid kept on. Astrid's mind raced with the possibilities. Toothless wouldn't be safe staying on Berk anymore, but he couldn't fly anywhere without her, which met she had to go too. She didn't particularly want to stick around either, but that could all be figured out later.

Finally arriving at the arena, Astrid hurried around, opening all of the doors a crack and looking for Toothless. After shutting the last door and not finding him, Astrid's heart sank.

"Where is he?" She rounded on Hiccup, jabbing an accusatory finger at him. Her eyes were watery again, longing for Toothless.

"They must have moved him."

"Don't lie to me!" Astrid cried, running back up to the street.

"I'm not lying!" Hiccup chased her. "Astrid! Stop, please!"

"Hiccup, I can't!" She whirled around. "I need to get to him! He must be so scared!" Astrid shook her hands frantically in the air, struggling to breath.

"Calm down." Hiccup said, grabbing her by the wrists. Astrid fought against him, pulling away, but she was no match for the stronger boy as he pushed her hands to her sides.

"Hiccup, Toothless needs me." Astrid insisted, her gusto fading.

"I know he does, but you can't do anything right now."

"But, Toothless…" Astrid trailed off, feeling crushed. Her chest felt like it was underneath of a boulder, her heart hammering against her ribs. Hiccup released her, following a few paces behind as Astrid slowly walked down to the edge of Berk, to look down at the docks and the preparations happening there.

Everyone was buzzing about, hauling canons and rock launchers, attaching the weapons to the ships, or working quickly to repair the damaged ones. Barrels were rolled aboard, crates of food and racks of swords and shields. The sun was low again, setting on the awful day.

"What in Thor are you doing here?" Both of the teens turned. But of course, Stoick was not talking to Astrid. "You had no business allowing her down here." Astrid's jaw set at her father's words, how she didn't even deserve to be addressed by name by him.

"I'm sorry." Hiccup said quickly, holding up his hands. "I had to take her the Gothi, for her burns, and, and then we just sort of ended up here."

"Well, go back." Stoick folded his arms, looking out over the ships and the sea, North towards Pinetop Island and the Nest.

"I thought this would be your time Hiccup. But no, you are to stay here." He glared at Astrid. "You can thank her for that too. Someone has to mind her so she doesn't do anything stupid. Again." He walked away then, Astrid glaring at him. She was hurt beyond belief. Her Father had never been close to her, but never had he treated her like this.

"What a relief." Hiccup breathed, more for Astrid's benefit than his own. Astrid could feel him watching her, but she didn't stop following her Father with her eyes until he disappeared into a building.

"Yes. Now you can help me with my plan." Astrid snarled, starting out at a brisk pace back home. She was limping rather heavily on her left leg.

"Your plan? What ah, what is your plan?"

"Don't know yet. You start by helping me figure that part out."

"Oh, Thor. You sure are stubborn Astrid."

"Thank you!" Astrid proclaimed sarcastically, walking backwards and gesturing with her hands to Hiccup. "So, if we aren't going to be able to stop the fleet from leaving, we are going to need a way to catch up to them."

"Hey, how's your leg?"

"Fine. Focus now Hiccup. Maybe we could get some of the others to help us. I bet Fishlegs knows of something!"

"Astrid! I really think you should rest your leg!"

"No, no! It feels fine. Really!"

"Why are you limping then?"

Astrid scowled at Hiccup. "It's just sore."

"Yeah, sure." He turned and started walking the other way.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Astrid said, stopping in her tracks.

"To get some rest." Hiccup pretended to yawn, making an exaggerated sound, stretching his arms over his head.

"Okay, fine! You've made your point." Astrid gave in. Hiccup kept walking. Astrid screwed up her mouth, her tongue scraping painfully from where she had bit into it.

"I'll go sit down." She called out as Hiccup rounded a corned around a house. A few seconds later, his head popped back around.

"Good!"

"And you call me the stubborn one." Astrid rolled her eyes, now noticing the way she limped up the slope.

"Oh come on. You know I'd always help you." Astrid smiled sweetly at Hiccup. "Now hurry up! We've got some planning to do."

 **AN_**

 **Heyo! I know this is a weird, boring filler chapter, but I still think it's kind of cute...? Maybe? I just like writing Hiccup and Astrid together with these different personalities.**

 **On another note, THANK YOU SO MUCH. I received the most reviews ever on my last chapter, and although the actual number might not be very high, they were some of the sweetest and most helpful, so thanks an absolute ton!**

 **I respond to all reviews, and love talking to anyone and everyone! You guys are the sweetest, even when giving some constructive criticisms.**

 **So, as usual, thanks for reading, following, and favoriting, and feel free to leave a review!**

 **-Birch66724**


	15. Chapter XV

"What about a boat?"

"Do you know how to sail?"

"Well, not exactly." Hiccup admitted, tossing up his roll of bread again. He lay on the floor of Astrid's room, absently playing with his food as he suggested ideas for Astrid's master plan on how to rescue Toothless.

Astrid half-lay-half-sat on her bed, her leg propped up as Hiccup had insisted. "Well, if we can't get there by land or sea, that leaves the sky." Astrid bolted upright, excitement over taking her as she gazed down at Hiccup, her mind whirling.

"Oh no." The boy muttered, his mangy hair spread below his reclined head like a bird's nest.

"I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner!" Astrid said, swinging her legs off the bed and stumbling over to her desk. It was still littered with designs of Toothless's saddle and tail fin. Hiccup had shuffled through them all when he had come in. Not that it mattered anymore, everyone in the village knew her secret.

"Astrid, just because you can fly Toothless, doesn't mean-"

"Yes, it does! Dragons aren't bad! They are just scared and defensive."

"Okay, say you can ride other dragons. We don't have time to go out and catch any."

"We don't need to catch them. They are already caught!" Hiccup looked confused for another moment before he got it. "And they already know me!"

"Okay, but the only one that liked you was the Nadder."

"Perfect! That one is yours."

"Me? A Nadder? I always thought of myself as more of a Monstrous Nightmare kind of guy-"

"We need to get down there. There is so much to do." Astrid worked quickly, stuffing her bag full, gathering up her things feverishly.

"Um, no. Astrid think." Hiccup interjected. "There is no way we can do anything until the fleet leaves. People would definity notice if you released all the dragons from the arena. And it's dark outside."

"Okay, okay. But we can go talk to the other recruits! The twins will obviously ride the Zippleback, duh. And the Gronke for Fishlegs, and I guess that leaves Snotlout with the Nightmare, huh." Astrid chuckled awkwardly.

"Slow down. Who said anything about the others? We don't need them to come."

"Yes, we do. Remember what we saw at the Dragon Nest? We are going to need as much help as we can get."

"What if they don't want to?"

"They will." Astrid said firmly, pushing past Hiccup out the door.

"Astrid, I think we need to stop and think this through a second."

"Absolutely not. It doesn't seem so crazy until you stop and think about it."

Hiccup stood in the doorway, skepticism flashing over his face. Astrid paused at the top of the stairs, wondering if she _was_ insane.

"Are you in it with me?" She asks, sounding small in that moment. She listened as Hiccup took a deep breath, then walked over to her.

"Of course I am Astrid. I'll always be in it with you." Hiccup spun her around slowly, hugging her close, dropping his face into her hair. Astrid stiffened briefly, then relaxed into him, wrapping her arms around his back, sighing into his chest.

*****How Astrid Trains Your Dragon*****

"Well, if it isn't the Nightfury whisperer." Snotlout gestured grandly as Astrid walked back to their table in the Great Hall. She pursed her lips and ignored the comment.

"Listen, we need to talk to you guys." She said, thanking the Gods that all four of them were there. Fishlegs looked interested, but the twins were completely focused on an argument in the front of the Hall. Two men were sparring over something, probably the last piece of boar or the last mug of mead.

"It's important." Hiccup added, which gained Snotlout's attention. He always seemed to be trying to impress Hiccup.

"What is it?"

"We can't talk here."

"Oo, a secret." He called out loudly.

"Shh! Keep your voice down." Astrid said. Snotlout glared at her, pushing back his chair and standing up.

Fishlegs followed suit. "C'mon you Nuts" Snotlout whacked each of the twins on the back of their helmets. They grumbled and followed, not taking their eyes off the fight, which caused them to bump into many a Viking on the way to the door.

Hiccup led the group to the field behind the Hall which held the animals which were to be killed for the feasts. It was empty now though, making it the perfect place to have a secretive talk.

Astrid took a deep breath and started at the beginning, with when she first met Toothless how she gained his trust and learned to ride him, how she learned all of her tricks in the arena, and then she told them about the Dragon Nest. They all sat silently, listening raptly.

"And that is where you guys come in. We need to follow the fleet to the Nest, save Toothless, and all of the Vikings, because they have no idea what they are up against." She finished, looking around at the expressions of the group. No one responded for the longest time, anticipation buzzing around in the night air.

"I'm in. But how do you suppose we are to accomplish your goals?" Fishlegs was the first to answer.

Snotlout didn't give Astrid time to respond. "If Fishface is in, I am too."

"Yeah! So are we!" Tuffnut shouted. Hiccup shushed him. He flashed an apologetic grin.

"Perfect. Thank you guys so much."

"Okay, out with it. We already know it'll be something crazy." Ruffnut said snipily.

"Alright then." Astrid said with a pointed look at the girl. "We will ride the dragons from Training. We can't sail or walk, so we need to fly."

Again, the group was quiet. They all seemed to consider the possibility of riding a dragon, having seen Astrid do it.

"I'm assuming you mean fly, as on dragons?"

"That's it."

"Well, that's...something."

"Something? That's awesome!" Ruffnut cackled. The group was then talking excitedly, exclaiming how cool it would be, and that Stoick should think twice about making them stay back on Berk.

"Alright. It's settled then. We'll met in the arena at noon, or after the fleet leaves. Whichever is first."

Dismissed, they twins walked back into the Hall to see the resolution of the spar, Fishlegs hurried off to consult the Book of Dragons, and Snotlout hung around Hiccup and Astrid.

He stood awkwardly as Astrid told Hiccup stuff to pack. Astrid didn't notice him, her thoughts were such a jumbled mess of planning and thoughts.

"Um, excuse me?" Snotlout tried to make himself heard. Astrid stopped mid sentence, looking over to the boy.

"Yes?"

"So, I uh, was thinking, your Nightfury, Toothface, is on-"

"Toothless."

"Huh?"

"His name. It's Toothless."

"Oh yeah, pfft, I knew that." He swiped a hand through the air. Astrid glanced at Hiccup, trying to hide a little smirk.

"Well, anyways, Tooth _less,_ is on the ships, so how are you going to get there?"

Astrid opened her mouth to answer, but Snotlout held up a hand.

"Ah, uh, ah, let me tell you. You will ride with me." He boasted, looking proud.

"Snotlout, that's a very generous offer, but-" Astrid took a step back, tossing a look to Hiccup, asking for help. He smirked, then threw an arm over Astrid's shoulders.

"Sorry, Snotman. I need Astrid to ride with me." He leaned forward then, lowering his voice. "I'm a little scared, you see."

"Oh! Well, obviously you would be." He laughed awkwardly. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow!" He turned and walked away quickly. Astrid watched him go, feeling slightly sorry for the boy.

"Oh Snotlout. That boy got himself into a mess again. Little embarrassment will do him good."

"Yeah." Astrid said absently.

"What's up?" Hiccup squeezed her shoulder, his arm still draped over her.

"Nothing, it's just that, " Astri looked up at Hiccup. "Do people really see me differently now?"

"What'd you mean?"

"I mean, Snotlout wouldn't have talked to me a few weeks ago, much less make a pass at me." Astrid took a few steps backwards.

"Woah, hold you Zipplebacks. It's just Snotlout. You know him, just trying to fit in. Although he has a weird way of doing it."

"No, it's not just that. People looked up when I walked into the Great Hall. People don't mind me, ever."

"I think you are overthinking this. Of course they looked up. They saw you almost die this afternoon."

Astrid frowned at Hiccup. "I don't know."

"Well I do." He spoke firmly. "I think they are finally going to realize what s smart, strong young shieldmaiden you are."

Astrid huffed. "I don't know if I want to be a shieldmaiden." She walked over to edge of the pasture, leaning out against the fence.

"I don't know I want you to be either."

"Hmm?" Astrid didn't turn towards Hiccup. She could feel her heart rising up in her throat, beating fast, thinking she knew what he was hinting at.

"You know." His lips brushed the back of Astrid's hair. She took a sharp intake of breath, not knowing when he got so close. Astrid didn't know if she liked it.

"What about you?" She asked, turning around and pushing Hiccup backwards with both hands on his chest.

"What about me what?"

"What?"

He laughed.

"What about about you? When did you become so fond of me? You certainly weren't a few weeks ago either." She spoke seriously.

Hiccup's face drew up, his eyes narrowing slightly, his smile fading into a set of pursed lips. Astrid gave him an icy look, wanting to know the answer to her question.

"Well, " He began slowly, as if testing the waters. "I got to spend some time with you, and I saw that my preconceived notions were incorrect."

"Don't think you can get out of this with a few big words." Astrid jabbed a finger into his sternum. He flashed a coy smile.

"I'll admit that I wasn't thrilled when Stoick told me to mind after you all week, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It wasn't bad at all, actually." He paused, looking past Astrid's head, across the blazing fires on the docks as the preparations continued.

"And then I saw a side of you I didn't know existed. When I saw you with Toothless, the way you came alive around him, and the way you want to do anything for him, I sorta fell for that side of you." Hiccup's voice was thick, his eyes intent.

Astrid could feel her face redden, feeling hot in the cool night. Never had anyone spoken to her like that before, and she didn't have a response. Fidgeting with a clasp on her jacket, Astrid rocked back and forth on her heels, casting her gaze downwards to the grass.

"I- well." She tried to say.

"It's okay. I can't believe I said that either." Hiccup rubbed his brow, looking embarrassed himself. Astrid smiled softly at him.

"Oh, and that smile too. And your eyes. They look, nice."

"Hiccup." She breathed.

"May as well say it all. I'm on a roll tonight I guess."

"You're too good." Astrid shook her head, stepping into Hiccup's arms. He wrapped her up in a hug. They stood for a long time, until Astrid got paranoid that someone would see them, and then her mind raced with obscene possibilities. That someone would tell Stoick, and he would make Hiccup go with him, and Hiccup would be killed, along with Toothless and all of the Vikings from Berk.

Astrid pulled back with a sharp breath, earning her a cocked eyebrow from Hiccup. She shook her head and paced in a tight circle, grateful that he didn't ask.

"We should get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow."

"Yes, yes we do."

 **AN_**

 **Aww. That was cute.**

 **I want to thank everyone for their continued support of How Astrid Trains Your Dragon. All of the follows and favorites and the darling reviews. Thank you to the moon and back.**

 **On another note, I finally saw The Hidden World! (spoilers I guess)**

 **I absolutely adored it, although I cried enough to flood the theater. That being said, I think that it was the bittersweet ending that the series deserved. At first, I wasn't so sure about it. The animation style seemed somewhat different from the previous two movies, as if it didn't quite fit. Towards the middle and second half, the soundtrack and the beautiful landscapes got me, and I fell hard for it. I would have to say it was my least favorite of the three movies, as it seemed to lack some of that awkward charm and fantastical music. Personally, I found the plot and the conflict a bit forced, but they characters were absolutely** **incredible. It was wonderful to see them grown, and to see Valka back in her son's life, being that confidant for Astrid.**

 **And the ending. Oh my the ending.**

 **I need to watch it again. Anyone know when the DVD will be released?**

 **-Birch66724**


	16. Chapter XVI

Astrid had woken with the sun, as per usual. She washed her hair and put on clean clothes before braiding her hair back extra tight, securing it with an extra knot. She redressed her burn, but it looked great. New pink skin had already overtaken the blisters. Astrid was impressed. Gothi must really know what she is doing with her herbs and whatnot.

Then she had moved downstair, packing her bag with some food and water, a treat for Toothless, an extra pair of socks, and her journal and charcoal pencil. Then she added the grass that Toothless went crazy for and the smoked eel.

Her jaw was sore from clenching it all night in anticipation. Astrid hadn't slept much, but if there was one thing which she wasn't, it was tired. She was alert and awake, forcing herself to eat some bread despite not being hungry.

She paced the kitchen, eating her breakfast, thinking. Her Father hadn't been home that night. _He is really serious about finding the Nest._ Once Astrid was all ready, it was barely past sunrise. No way she could wait until sunhigh.

Slipping out the door into the gray morning, Astrid took a deep breath of the misty air. Mornings were her favorite time of day on Berk. Only the men taking the fishing boats to sea were out, but their wives were already working in the houses. Smoke billowed from chimneys and warm scents wafted on the breeze. It wasn't like that this morning though.

There was nothing. Astrid didn't see a single person, a single column of smoke. Then she realized. She didn't see a single sail down at the docks.

"No," She breathed, slipping her pack over her other shoulder and sprinting down to the top of the cliff. Squinting, she could just barely see the outlines of the white billowing canvases on the horizon, sailing with their backs to the rising sun.

"I thought they were leaving in the afternoon." Astrid muttered to herself, rubbing her hands down her face, trying to stop fretting. _There will be plenty of time. They should get to the Nest late afternoon, and dragons can fly faster than ships sail._ But then the incessant nagging pulled at Astrid's thoughts. _None of those dragons are tame._

Chewing the inside of her cheek, Astrid made her way across Berk to Hiccup's house. She didn't know which window was his, or if his parents were on the expedition, so she didn't want to just knock on the door. It was barely morning! That sent Astrid pacing the perimeter of the house. It was dark inside.

Crossing the road and ducking through a vacent backyard, Astrid was at Snotlout's house. It was also dark. Groaning in frustration, Astrid turned around.

"What are you doing, looking in Snotman's windows? That's creepy." Astrid yelped, covering her mouth with a hand.

"Hiccup Haddock!" She scolded. He laughed, wiping his hands on an old towel, his hair dripping down his forehead.

Regaining her composure, Astrid asked, "Did you know the fleet already left?"

"Yeah, my mother woke me up to say goodbye. Couldn't get back to sleep again after."

Astrid nodded, eyeing a drop of water making its way to the corner of Hiccup's eye. He ducked his head to regain her attention. Blinking, Astrid offered a tight smile and refocused.

"I went to wash up, then I was going to get you."

"Thanks." Astrid muttered, fishing for something else to say.

"Let me get dressed, then we can go get everyone else."

"Actually, I think it might be better to start without everyone else there." Astrid surprised herself by saying. It hadn't been her original plan, but it made sense now. "You know, won't scared the dragons as much."

Hiccup nodded as he rubbed the rag across his head. He was wearing oversized clothes. "I'll meet you at the arena."

"Alright!" Astrid set off. The sun was starting to rise higher, burning off some of the mist that hung like a blanket over the houses of Berk. The arena, the same one Astrid had almost died in the day before, came into view. The imposing stone structure and iron mesh net above look like something from a tall tale, told to misbehaving children to set them straight. Swallowing through a thick throat, Astrid pulled some things from her bag.

The Deadly Nadder was basically tame. To Astrid anyway. She just needed to be introduced to Hiccup. The Gronkle was pretty docile, so she shouldn't be too hard. The Zippleback… so long as it didn't blow the whole place up before Astrid had a chance to interact with it. Then there was the Monstrous Nightmare. It had been locked back up when Astrid failed to kill it.

"Ready?" Hiccup strood into the arena on bouncy steps. Snotlout and the twins followed. Astrid have him a quizzical look. "Found these two arguing in the street." He pointed to the twins. "They woke up Snotlout, so he's here too now."

"Okay. That just leaves Fishlegs."

"Allow me to go get him!" Snotlout spoke up quickly. "I have to stop back at home anyways. I forgot something." Astrid waved him away.

"Ruffnut, Tuffnut. Ready to meet your Zippleback?"

"We already met him. Duh."

"Well, ready to meet him where he doesn't try to kill you?"

"Yeah. That's why we're here. Isn't it?"

"Forget it." Astrid said.

"Why? That's why we're here! Isn't it?"

"Maybe you got that part wrong?"

"No. You're right!" Hiccup interjects. Astrid took a deep breath and slowly opened the gate, letting the Zippleback slowly walk out. It paused, looking around slowly, probably confused by the lack of deadly weapons in the space.

Astrid hurried over to the barrel of fish just outside the arena. Grabbing two, she offered one to each head of the Zippleback. They both looked at Astrid, then the fish, then each other as if deciding whether or not to accept the food.

A moment later, the heads reached down in unison and scarfed down the fish. So far so good. No gas or sparks.

Astrid took a step back, motioning for the twins to grab some fish. They did, walking tentatively up to Astrid and the dragon.

"Go ahead." Astrid directed them.

"Can't you do it?" Ruffnut asked, looking uncomfortable.

"It's your dragon. You need to bond with it."

Tuffnut held out the fish to the spark headed dragon. It again looked to its other head, then the both moved in unison to retrieve the fish. Although Ruffnut wasn't extending her fish, the gas headed dragon nosed its way into her hand to eat.

"Hey!" Ruff snarled.

"Ha! He's just like you. He likes to steal stuff that isn't his." Tuffnut smarts.

"Don't you even start in about that knife. You know it was mine in the first place!"

"Oh, we'll see who's neck it ends up inside of!" Tuff growled, squaring up as if to tackle his twin.

The Zippleback exchanged a look, then one head pushed each teenager back, chortling.

"Well, that was easy." Astrid mumbled, stepping back to stand by Hiccup.

"And now we have damage control for the twins too." They both laughed, watching as Ruffnut swung her leg over the neck of the gas head. The Zippleback looked confused, but it quickly figured it out, running off, leaving Tuffnut chasing after.

"Alright, we're back, and ahhh!" Snotlout yelled, flailing his arms.

"No way!" Fishlegs exclaimed. "I'll admit, I didn't think that this would work."

"You're next, Fishlegs. I was thinking Gronkle for you?" Astrid said, walking backwards towards the cage.

"Oh, uh, I guess." He said nervously, shrinking back when the Zippleback made another loop around the arena.

"C'mon." Astrid encouraged, gesturing for Hiccup to bring over the fish barrel. He complied, dragging over the heavy amount of fish. Astrid gave Fishlegs a reassuring smile, then cranked up the door.

The Gronkle burst out, growling. It swung in a tight circle, its yellow eyes landing on Fishlegs, who yelled and starting running.

"No! Don't run!" Astrid yelled and Hiccup grabbed Fishlegs. The boy trembled. The Gronkle came closer, opening up its mouth.

"Uh hu!" Astrid muttered, jumping in front of the rotund dragon and using her special scratching trick. It took a second longer than usual, enough to make Astrid's heart jump to her throat, but the Gronkle fell to the ground with a hard thump, grumbling and rolling to its back, its foot twitching. Astrid continued to scratch it.

"Get down here Fishlegs!" She said.

The large boy whimpered and crouched down, reaching out a shaking hand, Hiccup gave him a nudge from behind until he made contact with the dragon. One second later, his scientific side came out.

"Wow. Not as scaley as I would have thought, more of one continuous rough skin. And these bumps, I couldn't imagine! This is just so-"

Astrid sighed and stood up, smiling in satisfaction.

"You really have a way with these things, Astrid." Hiccup stepped behind her, running his hand quickly down her back, tracing her spine. Astrid shivered, pulling away.

"I'm worried about the Nightmare though." She said, not meeting Hiccup's gaze.

"Yeah, but it'll be fine. We'll figure it out." Astrid nodded, watching The Gronkle get up and appraise Fishlegs. The boy fed her a fish.

"So, uh, where is my dragon?" Snotlout came up behind Astrid.

"Just behind that door." Astrid pointed.

"You have got to be kidding me." Snotlout sighed.

"Nope." She walked towards the door, wanting to get this one over with.

"Can't I have the Deadly Nadder? It seems nicer."

"Nope."

"Astrid!" He yelled when she cranked the door open the first bit. Pulling the grass from her pocket, she held it out as the door rose the rest of the way. To her surprise, the giant red dragon didn't come flying out. It stayed, hunkered in the corner of the stone cage, looking angry.

"Oh, boy. Toothless really did a number on you, huh?" Astrid murmured softly, taking a step inside and seeing the large black burn on the dragon's left side. It growled warily. Astrid thrust the grass at him. That caught his attention. Its huge nostrils opened and closed, its neck stretching forward.

"It's coming out!" Snotlout cried.

"We _want that."_ Hiccup drawled.

"Here he is." Astrid whispered, not breaking eye contact with the Nightmare, leading him slowly out into the arena.

"It's okay boy. We aren't here to hurt you." Astrid stopped moving, letting the dragon make the final motion to touch her. He hesitated, nose twitching at the grass, looking deeply into Astrid's eyes.

"Come here Snotlout." Astrid let out a breath as the Nightmare pressed his nose to Astrid's hand.

"I um, I don't know if that is the best idea, Astrid." Snotlout wrung his hands.

"Come here." She spoke firmly. The black haired boy inched forward slowly. Astrid grew impatient, reaching out, she grabbing Snotlout's hand and pressed it over her, on the Monstrous Nightmare's face, then slid her hand away.

"Oh! Oh look! I'm doing it! I'm touching the dragon!" He whooped, his excitement growing with every moment. The dragon seemed to scoff, tossing his head back and forth. Snotlout snatched his hand back, then laughed nervously when the dragon nudged him roughly.

"Watch are laughing about, hook mouth." Snotlout tossed the dragon a fish. He jumped up and caught it. "Yeah! Hookfang! I'll call him that."

Astrid and Hiccup nodded.

"You know? Because his fangs look like hooks. Deadly hooks. That could kill me." He kept talking nervously, feeding Hookfang.

Astrid glanced around, watching as the Gronkle licked Fishlegs, and the Zippleback chased the twins around. With a weighted sigh she turned to Hiccup. He grinned at her. The two watched the scene around them. Dragons and VIkings interacting without weapons and death.

"Want yours?" Astrid asked, leaning towards Hiccup on her toes.

"Oh yeah. I'm excited."

Astrid cranked open the door to the Deadly Nadder's cage. The blue dragon rushed out, squawking loudly and swinging her tail about.

"Hey girl! Remember me?" Astrid greeted the Nadder, letting the dragon's head fall into her arms. The blue dragon warbled and jumped back, bowing as if the play.

"Here! Meet Hiccup. Play with him." The Nadder squawked again, rushing Astrid and nuzzling her. Astrid pulled Hiccup over and pushed him in front of the dragon. She nosed Hiccup aside and ran back to Astrid.

"No!" Astrid laughed. "Come here!" It took several minutes before the Nadder would do anything but try to engage Astrid, but eventually, Hiccup's extended fish won her attention.

"There. Friends at last." Astrid collapsed to ground. Watching everyone play with their new dragons, she longed for Toothless. He must be so scared, chained up on a boat, headed towards a place that he hates. That thought spurred Astrid back into action.

"We should get going guys!" She called, opening the gate to the outside that the dragons could fit through. A minute later, everyone was sitting on their dragon's back, ready to hit the skies.

Snotlout talked to Hookfang nonstop, and the twins were trying to decide on what to name their head of the Zippleback. Fishlegs seemed absolutely enthralled by his Gronkle, and Hiccup was finally forming a bond with the Nadder.

She chirped happily when Hiccup gave Astrid a hand up to her back

"What are you going to call her?" She asked, settling herself behind Hiccup, feeling weird sitting behind rather than in front of him.

"I was thinking Storm. For her blue scales and eyes." Hiccup answered, running a hand across the Nadder's head.

"I like it." Astrid said, waving the others through the opening.

"Storm, fly!" Astrid yelled, wrapping her hands around Hiccup's waist.

"Actually," he yelled, the air rushing through his hair and catching his voice. "I think I like Stormfly better!"

 **AN_**

 **Heyo. Not much to say tonight guys. Hope you liked today's chapter. It was a bit of a filler chapter, but, as I'm sure you all know the story, the chapters are winding down towards the end. Thanks again for everything. :)**


	17. Chapter XVII

Astrid took several deep breaths. Here they were, six teenager and four dragons, flying across the ocean to stop a fleet of Vikings who had their minds set on destroying all dragons.

There had been a slight learning curve for the riders, as to be expected. They struggled to get a good comfortable grip on their dragons, and the dragons kept shifting them around. Then there was the whole issue of direction. The other dragons seemed pretty content to just follow Stormfly, so that left Hiccup with the big problem. He tried turning the Nadder's head, to which she responded very poorly, shooting into the sea and bucking her head. Then Hiccup tried to direct her with his feet, but her skin was so thick she could barely feel when he pressed his heels into her. So, they had resorting to simply leaning forward and pointing in the intended direction. Stormfly seemed to understand that, and would shift her course of flight whenever Hiccup indicated so.

Once that matter was all settled, her true personality came back out. Stormfly was an absolute sweetheart. She chirped away and swooped around the other dragons, as if checking in on them. Fishleg's Gronkle, who he had coined Meatlug after Snotlout made a joke that the poor dragon had to lug around the meat that was Fishlegs, was calm. She flew steadily at the back of the group, looked bored as she fluttered along on impossibly small wings.

Hookfang and Snotlout's personalities seemed to be made for each other. The dragon was constantly teasing the boy. He was currently lighting small fires on his skin, sending Snotlout yelping and crawling backwards. Then Hookfang flipped over, dropping Snotlout off his back. The group collectively gasped, and Astrid's heart sunk, think that maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Then the Monstrous Nightmare chortled, flying down to retrieve the screaming boy.

They joined the group a few minutes later, Snotlout dangling by the back of his shirt from Hookfang's mouth.

"Haha, very funny." Snotlout said dryly, crossing his arms and legs. Hookface shook his head, then tossed the young Viking over his head. Snotlout again, screamed, then landed heavily on the dragons shoulders.

"We're still, uh, bonding." He made the excuse. Astrid rolled her eyes and turned around to check on the twins. The had been talking nonstop about their dragon's name. Or names.

"How about Sparky?" Tuffnut said.

"Too boring!" Ruffnut answered looking irritated. "What about Gassy?"

"How is that better?"

"Because I can up with it!"

"Okay, what's like, another word for gas?"

"Fart?"

"No! From the mouth you muttonhead."

"Belch?"

"That's it! That's the one!"

"Aw yeah!"

"What about the other one?"

"No, we'll never top Belch."

That went on for some time, until they settled on Barf for the other head. _That's very Thorsten._ Astrid thought. They were still several hours behind the fleet, but they should be catching up soon. Hopefully before they arrived at the Nest. Astrid settled in with her forehead on Hiccup's back, content for the moment.

But, like usual, that feeling didn't last long. The dragons were exhausted, and they'd only been flying for an hour at the most.

"Astrid?" Fishlegs called out from behind her. "I think we need to stop for a bit. Meatlug is going down."

Flustered, Astrid glanced around. The Zippleback's heads were lolling, and Hookfang's eyes were closed as he flew. Stormfly wasn't flapping her wings anymore, just coasting, and she'd long since given up her chirping.

"Okay!" Astrid called, turning around so she could face the rest of the group. They were still flying in front. "Slight change of plans. We're going to touch down and rest for a bit. But not too long!" She warned, directing Hiccup to an Island in the distance that looked like it had a relatively flat top.

"I 'spose the poor things haven't stretched their wings in years." Hiccup murmured sadly.

He leaned down and pointed a hand past Stormfly's face, so she could see where they were talking about. She angled her head and gave a gentle squawk. Astrid could already see how Hiccup was bonding with the Nadder. Once he had given her a name, it was history. Astrid liked the name. Stormfly. It seemed very _Hiccup._ And it fit the dragon's personality. She was playful and cheeky, but she could be serious and defensive.

Astrid was surprised by Stormfly's landing technique. She didn't loop in a circle to slow down like Toothless did, but rather shot straight down, back-winging for just a moment a few feet above the ground, then dropping heavily to her massive feet, not walking to slow and steady herself, just standing, wobbling back and forth until she stilled.

The action left Astrid clinging to Hiccup as she thought the dragon was going to crash rather unceremoniously into the grass. Meatlug landed heavily as well, dropping to her stomach and letting FIshlegs slide over before rolling over onto their back, groaning. Barf and Belch was a creature of much more grace it seemed, flapping slowly until his feet touched down with elegance before lowering the heads to let the twins climb off. Hookfang landed and trotted forward a few paces using his wings like another set of legs until he slowed and lowered.

Stormfly crouched to let her passengers disembark. She sniffed Astrid, then nuzzled Hiccup. The boy looked surprised and unsure how to respond. Astrid smiled when he wrapped his arms around the Nadder's head. Stormfly purred and settled onto her stomach like an oversized chicken minus the feathers, and motioned for Hiccup to join her. He did, letting Stormfly wrap her tail around him and plop her head at his feet.

Hiccup grinned broadly at Astrid from his position, leaving Astrid fighting to put a happy expression on, missing Toothless something fierce. He had become such a huge part of her life in just a few weeks, and left such a big, Nightfury shaped hole in her heart. She missed his warm green eyes, ever understanding and smart, and his charming personality. The way he always investigated Astrid whenever he sensed a change in her mood and did anything to cheer her up.

Astrid wandered away, to the edge of the sea-stack, squinting at the line where the sky met the sea. She almost thought see saw the white sails from the fleet, but couldn't say for sure. Settling down on the edge with her feet dangling over, Astrid let out a heavy sigh, her lack of sleep catching up to her. She listened in as Fishleg's talked to Meatlug, telling her about himself while the Gronkle snored away. Snotlout laid on his back beside Hookfang, his eyes closed and his hands folded behind his head.

For once, the twins seemed to be leaving each other alone. Tuffnut was picking at something stuck in one of the Zippleback's scales, and Ruffnut as kicking rocks off the edge of the cliff, leaning over and watching them fall.

Astrid closed her eyes, thinking about what her father's reaction might be to seeing her and the others, atop dragons, coming to save them and Toothless. She figured that they wouldn't listen to her warning about what waited for them at the Dragon's Nest, but they had to try.

"Hey! Come look at this!" Ruffnut howled, pointing down.

"What is it?" Astrid called, hauling herself to her feet. Fishlegs joined her as they walked over to where the girl stood, staring over the edge. Upon reaching the cliff, Astrid peered over, looking down into a deep dark hole on another level of the island about 20 feet below them.

"Is that what you were kicking the rocks into?" Tuffnut asked, joining them. Hiccup remained by Stormfly, seemingly asleep. Snotlout strutted over.

"Bet you a barrel of mead that you won't jump into it." He elbowed Tuffnut. Before the long haired boy could reply, Fishlegs interjected.

"I don't think that would be a good idea. In fact, I don't think it's a good idea that we're here." He tentatively walked backwards, fidgeting with his hands.

"Where would you even get a barrel of mead?"

"What is it?" Astrid demanded, her growing concern making her harsh as she spoke over Tuffnut.

"I don't know for sure, but I think that that's a Whispering Death hole."

"And you're just saying now?" Snotlout shouted.

"Shhh!"

"We need to go! We can rest somewhere else." Astrid waved everyone back to their dragons. Astrid josteled Hiccup awake and aroused Stormfly. The Nadder yawned, revealing row upon row of deadly teeth. Hiccup jolted awake, startling the Nadder. Stormfly jumped up with a squawk, defensily squaring off.

"No, no! Stormfly." Hiccup soothed, listening as Astrid explained the situation in quick, terse words.

Hiccup jumped onto Stormfly, pulling Astrid up behind him. The blue dragon walked over to the edge as the twins and Fishlegs joined them.

"C'mon Snotlout!" Hiccup yelled over his shoulder.

"Hookfang won't get up!" Snotlout was pulling at the Nightmare's horns, leaning his whole body weight into it.

"Maybe the Whispering Death with scare him awake!" Tuffnut said.

"What? No! The whole point is to _not_ wake up the Whispering Death!" Astrid yelled.

"Oh." Tuffnut paused. "Well, I think we failed. He's already up."

"Tuff! I would be nice of you to share that with us!" Astrid yelled, spying the deadly looking blue snake-like dragon slithering over the edge on its small wings.

"Let's go Hookfang!" Snotlout was still desperately shoving at his dragon. Finally, Hookfang cracked open an eye. He glared at Snotlout, but then spotted the Whispering Death. Astrid was impressed at the speed at which the Nightmare flipped to its feet and lit up. He roared, advancing on the opposing dragon.

His roar riled up the other dragons, sending then bucking and shooting at the Whispering Death. It hissed, an ear splitting shriek, ducked around the Monterous Nightmare and darted past the other dragons, over the other side of the cliff.

All of the teens were scared out of their skins, left clutching their dragons and hoping the Whispering Death didn't attack.

Once the threat was neutralized, Hookfang extinguished himself and stalked over to Snotlout. He gave the boy a rough sniff before dropping his shoulder for him to climb on.

"Did you do that for me?" Snotlout crooned. Hookfang huffed, smoke coming from his nostrils. "Ow! You're still hot!" Hookfang took off, snickering. The other dragons followed suit.

"Well, so much for a rest." Astrid muttered, checking to make sure the Whispering Death wasn't pursuing them.

"It wasn't so bad. The dragon got a few minutes of sleep at least." Hiccup countered gently.

"I guess."

"What's wrong?"

It was a long time before Astrid answered. The rest stop island was shrunk to the size of a pea behind them. "I'm just worried. What if I lead us all into a death trap?"

"Oh, don't talk that nonsense Astrid! We won't die! Just might lose a few limbs is all." Astrid whacked him.

"Not funny!"

"No offense Toothless!" Astrid hit him again before they both absolved in laughter. They flew in silence then.

"But, on a serious note…" Astrid started, unsure where she was going with the sentence but needing to say it. Her chest felt tight with anxiety and whenever she focused on the feeling, it blurred her vision and choked her throat.

"What Astrid?" Hiccup pressed.

"I just, I don't even know what I'm doing."

"I know."

Astrid frowned, rubbing her forehead. "Then you know more about me than I do."

"I know what you're doing." Hiccup said again, leaving Astrid wanting to see his face so she could gauge his level of seriousness.

"You're taking a big risk for someone you love. Because you are a Viking, and Vikings are loyal and stubborn and do whatever it takes." Hiccup spoke with a matter-of-fact tone, his finger tracing circles on Stormfly's neck.

Astrid didn't reply. The pain of her father's words to her the other day was brought back up, but she stuffed it down. No more tears needed to be shed over that. Hiccup's bold words were trying their best to erase the marks Stoick's words had left on Astrid, filling her back up and righting her on her feet.

"Hiccup, I didn't know you could be so nice." Was all Astrid managed to say.

"All I get is _nice?_ C'mon now." He joked.

"Yeah, you are very _nice_." Astrid said.

"O-kay. But you're just alright then."

"Fine by me."

"Alright Astrid." He spoke loudly. "Has a nice ring to it."

"Oh!" Astrid whacked him which just led him to laugh.

"Someday you'll get better then Alright."

"Keep this up and you'll get downgraded from nice to average."

The pair just laughed, Astrid arms looped loosely around Hiccup as they flew on the back of Stormfly. Astrid thought perhaps the laughing was just a front for the fear they both felt about what they were getting themselves into.

 **AN_**

 **Welcome to the end of chapter 17. I promise the next chapter will have more action. :)**

 **-Birch66724**


	18. Chapter XVIII

"We aren't going to be able to find anything in all this fog!" Hiccup growled, trying his best to direct Stormfly. The Nadder was backwinging and trying to avoid slamming into a tower of rock. She shook her head, her eyes twitching back and forth.

"We don't need to find them." Astrid pointed to Stormfly. "The dragons will lead us straight to the Nest."

"Do we want to go there?"

"I don't think we have a choice." Astrid admitted. They had been trying to pull the dragons back from the urge they felt to fly East through the fog, trying to catch up to the fleet, which had clearly gone farther South before turning into the fog.

After they found another, more suitable island a little ways farther out, they had stopped to lay over for about an hour. They dragons had folded in their wings and slept, rebuilding their energy part way through their first flight in probably five years. The poor things were exhausted. It wasn't long before the adrenaline of the Whispering Death attack wore off. With no fear to flee from a wild dragons deadly jaws, their heads drooped and their wing beats grew irregular and lax.

After departing the rest stop, it hadn't been to long when they saw the white tips of sails on the horizon. They had seemed so close at the time, but never seemed to grow any closer before they disappeared into the thick fog South of Pinetop Island. From there, Astrid and Hiccup knew the nest was not too much farther, but they had wanted to find the fleet before going to the Nest.

They were unsuccessful in this endeavor, instead finding several dozen destroyed and forgotten ships cast among the rocks. They all had burned sails or holes in the hull rendering them useless. Some looked decades old, with wood warped beyond recognizable and tattered bits of sail covered in mold from years spend in the damp environment.

Shivers had passed over everyone's skin upon seeing these boats, their imaginations let loose about what form of beast had done the damage. Every time another silhouette of a boat was seen through the fog, the hair on the back of Astrid's neck rose, fearing the worst, that this would be one from the most recent fleet, flipped upside down, the Vikings aboard tossed like dolls into the water, and Toothless, chained, would sink to the bottom of the sea without a hope of survival.

The thick misty fog had drenched Hiccup and Astrid's clothes, leaving them clinging to their bodies, sending a chill straight through to their bones. No sun penetrated into the area and shadows hung on every edge, dark and menacing with no way to know their contents.

Astrid didn't remember it as so creepy, but then again, they had passed through quickly on Toothless's back, fearful of the countless dragons that surrounded them. Now they seemed utterly alone, carving through the mist, searching in vain for the fleet before it reached the Dragon Nest.

"I don't know what else to do." Astrid sighed, watching the way Stormfly's wings sent moats of fog swirling like eddies in a river, spiraling out of sight before being reabsorbed by the opaque wall of white.

"Okay, what if we go to the Nest, but wait on the shore?"

"Just sit there?"

"Well, yeah. Toothless will lead them there."

"He can't help it."

"I know, but once they get there, we can stop them before they attack."

"Hiccup, Stoick won't listen. You know him."

"We'll have to make him listen." Hiccup, as always, added his level headed point of view to the problem.

"Okay." Astrid glanced around. "Let's land there and talk to everyone about this." She pointed to a large sea stack that had a relatively flat top. Stormfly took longer than usual to respond to Hiccup's request, her eyes flickering around and a low growl emitting from her throat.

"Come on girl. You're alright." Hiccup encouraged her as Astrid turned and motioned for the other riders to follow their lead.

Landing heavily, Stormfly ran the perimeter of the stone platform, shrieking shrilly. Hookfang landed and snarled at her. The Nightmare looked to be the only dragon not completely wigged out. He was more alert than usual, making often sweeps of the area with his large yellow eyes, but he didn't act completely awry.

"What's this about?" Snotlout asked from his perch atop Hookfang. He fidgeted nervously with the edge of his tunic, trying to hide his fear from the others. Fishlegs and the twins alighted on the cliff. Barf and Belch's heads weaved back and forth, taking Ruffnut and Tuffnut with them.

"This is like we're some kind of secret crew, setting out to save the Vikings of Berk, journeying through the dangerous and mysterious lands." Tuffnut gesture wildly, and excited spark in his eyes and Barf moved him up and down.

"Tuff, please." Fishlegs said. The large boy looked relatively calm, proving Astrid's impression of the skittish young Viking wrong.

"Okay, but all I'm saying is, this is pretty cool."

"Yeah it is!" Ruffnut jeered her brother on.

"Okay!" Astrid interrupted before Tuff got off on another tangent. "So, we aren't going to find the fleet in here. The fog is too thick, and we can't keep straight where we are going."

"Are we going back to Berk?" Snotlout asked over eagerly.

"No." Hiccup answered swiftly.

"We are going to let the dragons lead us to the Nest." Astrid explained.

"Wait a minute. Wasn't the whole idea to _avoid_ the Nest?" Fishlegs spoke up.

"Yes, but I don't think we have any other choice. If we want to catch the fleet before they attack the mountain, we need to meet them."

"How do we know they will even find the Nest?" Ruffnut asked, hanging upside down by her ankles from Belch's neck. The dragon seemed to not even notice, sweeping around and taking in the scene from all angles.

"Toothless will lead them there."

"Stupid Nightfury. Leading them right to it."

"It's not his fault." Astrid said defensively, focusing a glare on the other girl. "He shows where he's near the nest. His ears shake and he acts all, _weird."_ Astrid tried to explain.

"Oh. But still. He should try harder not to."

Astrid huffed and looked around at everyone. "So, unless anyone has any other suggestions….?" It was her last hope at an alternative plan. All that looked back at her were blank faces, wide eyes and knit brows.

"Okay then, I guess just let your dragon lead you there. And land on the shore! Don't let them go up into the mountain!" Astrid called as Hiccup released Stormfly. The Deadly Nadder hopped off the cliff, her wing beats confident and determined as she flew quickly back the direction they had come. At least Astrid thought it was the direction they had come. It was hard to keep straight in all the fog. The towers of rock all blended together and become one amorphous shape that was indistinguishable from any other.

Astrid hugged close to Hiccup in the damp air. He leaned back now that he wasn't direction Stormfly anymore. He held on to Astrid's hands which were clasped at the base of his ribs.

Astrid sent up silent prayers to the Gods that her father and the fleet were still afloat, and that Toothless was okay. She doubted that they would listen to the part about her dragon, but it made her feel better nonetheless.

Shapes flew past as the Dragon Nest grew nearer at Stormfly's desperate pace. Astrid's mind wandered back to the massive dragon living in the depths of the mountain. _What is is?_ It was without a doubt the biggest dragon that anyone had ever seen. It was definitely not something to be found in the Book of Dragons back in the Great Hall on Berk. They would have no idea how to face it. They didn't even know what it could do!

Could shoot fire? Maybe water or ice? Could it fly? Would it emerge from the mountain once it was under siege, or did it have underground tunnels that it would slip into, hidden in the great depths of the ground? How big even was it? She and Hiccup had only seen it's massive head and neck rise from the pit, and that had been more than enough.

The mist was slowly beginning to dissipate to a thin fog, and Astrid knew the Nest was close by. Her heart started to race, wondering if they could control the dragons enough to get them to land on the shore of the island, rather than flying up into the hole and carrying them inside.

"What was that?" Hiccup asked as a great shriek echoed over the water. Stormfly slowed up, her tail swinging beneath her as she pulled herself to a halt. The air seemed to buzz as the other dragons pulled up short behind them.

"Something big is happening." Fishlegs murmured, scanning the skies. Suddenly, the mist parted and a wave of all colors was upon them.

"Get down!" Astrid yelled, ducking as dragons swooped over them, screeching and roaring in their mad dash to escape. The flew blindly, knocking into each other and sending some unlucky smaller dragons plummeting into the sea or slamming into rocks. They didn't seem to notice, solely focus on fleeing from the mountain.

 _We're too late._ Astrid deflated, her head pounding with pressure as Hiccup fought with Stormfly, not allowing her join the swarm. She squawked wildly, her claws scraping against a huge stone pillar. A Timberjack slammed into Stormfly, its bladed wing giving her a nasty slice on the leg.

"Easy! It's okay Stormfly!" Hiccup shouted, clinging to her to avoid being thrown off from the force of the impact. Astrid gasped and hugged Hiccup tighter as Stormfly spiraled downwards, beating her wings fiercely as her feet grazed over the water. At least they were below the main swarm of fleeing dragons.

Hiccup urged Stormfly forward, towards the Nest. She shrieked in alarm and Hiccup wrestled with her for a long time, long enough for the rest of the riders to spot them near the water's surface and join them there.

"Come on guys!" Astrid called out to them. "They are going to need backup at the mountain!"

They pushed forwards, darting around dragons lagging behind the main group. The ships came into view, then the canons and slingshots, then the great beast that dwelled inside the mountain. _So she did come out._

"What in Thor is that?" Snotlout hollered, looked scared beyond his mind.

"That's what we tried to warn them about!" Astrid yelled, her anger building in her chest. She was mad that her father couldn't listen, mad that she would have to risk her life and the lives of all her friends to try and get out of this mess, and mad that she hadn't been faster to get here. This could have all been prevented if they would have arrived ten minutes earlier.

"We have got a mess to clean up here." Hiccup breathed, slowing Stormfly to a halt as the others stopped around them.

The huge dragon roared so loud the water quivered and took a massive step out of the rubble that remained of the mountain. It crushed an entire catapult under one massive foot, sending Vikings screaming and running in all directions. It was absolutely enormous. It dwarfed even the largest ship in the fleet, towering above it all, not even taking notice as the Viking below pelted it with boulders and shot at it with their cannons. It had a huge head, with a jaw that split almost to the back of its head, jagged teeth the size of a full grown Gronkle, and three bulbous eyes on each side of its face.

It roared again, the breath from the sound sending the boats bobbing on the edge of the sea.

Then, with one massive sweep of its head, it emitted a river of flame, lighting all of the boats in one fell swoop.

"Toothless!" Astrid screamed.

"Go Stormfly!" Hiccup yelled and they dove, flying straight into the Hell spread before them.

 **AN_**

 **Chapter 18! Bit more action, but not quite all of it yet. :)**

 **Thank you so much for all of the views and reviews and follows. This story has been so much more than I ever could have hoped for, all thanks to you guys.**

 **-Birch66724**


	19. Chapter XVIIII

"Snotlout! You need to go distract it!" Astrid yelled wildly as they raced towards the mountain. The boy looked uncertain, but then a look of determination came across his face. He nodded and Hookfang swooped closer to the Monster's head.

"He'll need backup Fishlegs!" Hiccup called, sending the other boy off.

"Ruff! Tuff! You guys go help on the ground! Get people out of the way!" The Zippleback carried them off, sparking up a blast around the Monster's leg before disappearing from view behind the roaring fire which was the fleet.

"Toothless." Astrid breathed, gripping Hiccup's shoulders and looking through the flames, desperately searching for her friend.

"We'll find him." Hiccup assured her, urging Stormfly downwards. She was scared of the fire, screeching and resisting. Astrid's heart raced and her eyes stung in the smoke. Her mind kept picturing the worst. That Toothless was still completely chained, helpless against the inferno rapidly devouring the boats.

All she could hear above the roar of the fire were screams and the deady roaring of the enormous monster. _Gods help us._ Astrid thought, eyes darting wildly as Stormfly made a low pass along the boats. She began to grow discouraged as she saw countless Vikings leaping from the decks of burning boats, into the icy sea water, but no Nightfury.

Hiccup led Stormfly in another loop, trying his best to get the frightened Nadder to do what he wanted. She was backwinging and resisting, squawking up a storm, when Astrid heard it.

Her head perked up and she hushed the yelling Hiccup. The cry came again. It was less of a cry though, more of a growl, a plea for help, a sound of defeat.

"There!" Astrid pointed, spying a writing black shape on the deck of a boat near the edge of the line of ships. "Come on Stormfly!" Astrid pleaded, getting ready to jump from the back of the Nadder.

With one more shrill shriek of protest, the Deadly Nadder dove, grazing above the tops of the flames, darting between burning masts and sails, narrowly avoiding a lethal looking tangle of rigging, sure to entrap her.

"Good girl!" Hiccup praised her as she alighted on the deck. She had other plans though, and as soon as Astrid slid off her back, landing heavily on the wood, Stormfly flew off.

"Astrid!" Hiccup yelled, desperately tugged at Stormfly.

"Go! Help the others!" She broke her gaze away from Toothless for a split second to send the boy off. He looked torn, reluctant to leave Astrid on the deck of the flaming ship, but with her order and Stormfly's resistance, he gave in, mouthing her a good luck, drowned out by another roar from the Monster.

Astrid thought it hardly qualified as a roar. It was so loud, a deep sound that almost seemed to come straight from the depths of the earth, making the very ground shake and the water ripple.

"Toothless!" Astrid cried, racing to his side. His eyes widened at the sight of her and he bucked more wildly in his restraints. "It's okay! It's okay!" She soothed, running her hands along his rough scales, trying to force the leather strap off his mouth.

It eventually slid off, sending Astrid head over heels, her arm brushing along the side of the boat, which was covered in hungry flames, reminding her of the burn on her calf, which wasn't yet healed.

Cursing, Astrid tossed aside the contraption and brushed at her singed arm as she hurried back to Toothless's side. He was on a wooden platform, metal bars arching over his back, each of his feet secured to one with chains, and a cruel wooden collar locked tightly around his neck.

"Oh, bud. I'm so sorry." Astrid muttered as she started to pry at the collar, trying to jiggle the lock, but to no avail. She glanced frightenedly at the flames closing around them. Her breath came in short, rapid pants, her mouth open and her hair a mess, coming loose from her braid and framing her face, only to be pushed back irritatedly by Astrid's shaking hand.

Toothless craned his neck back, as if to blast at the lock, but he couldn't quite reach that far.

"Okay….okay…" Astrid took a step back, admitting to herself that she wouldn't be able to get the collar off with her hands. She rubbed her temple, feeling the heat from the dancing red flames flicker on her skin. "He must have the key for this on here somewhere."

 _Unless he has it on him._ She thought darkly, then promptly tried to stuff that thought down. Toothless warbled anxiously, vigorously shaking his head, straining against the metal and wood holds.

"Where would he put it?" Astrid mutter to herself, spinning around and seeing only flame in ever direction. "No! No,no,no!" She cursed then, squeezing her fists together and huffing an angry breath.

Then Astrid knelt by Toothless face, taking his head in her hands and leaning her forehead against his. "I'm so sorry, bud. This is all my fault." She said quietly, taking a deep breath then entering into a coughing fit. The smoke was thick and black, only further reducing the visibility of the area.

Toothless howled, jerking back his head, causing Astrid to look up. She screamed, ducking as Toothless tried to pull her under himself. The flaming mast from the next ship over was falling. The ship Toothless was on was much smaller than the one next to them and its mast was enormous. It hit the deck with a resounding boom, splintering the wood and throwing flaming chunks in every direction.

Astrid clutched Toothless as they went airborne. The force of the impact tipped the boat, throwing all its contents into the sea. Toothless roared, shooting a deep blue blast as they hit the icy water. Astrid yelled, fighting against the black waves in the water, sent off from the flaming boat rocking wildly back and forth.

"Toothless!" Astrid spluttered, breaking the surface as her Nightfury sunk into the depths, all the metal and chains dragging him down, down, down.

Astrid grabbed a deep breath, swimming strongly downwards, chasing the black dragon as he became one with the shadows on the seafloor. Astrid ears popped with the pressure of the water and her lungs were already screaming for air.

Toothless, spotting Astrid, opened his mouth, emitting a roar as a silent swarm of bubbles. His green eyes stood out vividly into the murky water, fear coursing through them.

Astrid reached the dragon, tugging uselessly at the ties that bound him, her strength weakening even more as she ran out of air. Cold fear wormed its way into her heart as her vision became dotted with black and her lungs and throat ached for air.

"Toothless…" Astrid whispered, the water rushing into her open mouth as her vision faded completely. She heard Toothless's roar this time, and felt the sensation of rising. _Am I on the way to Valhalla?_ She wondered briefly, her mind feeling fuzzy, like a limb when you sat on it for too long, or how you feel when you first wake up in the morning.

Then everything was cold. Bright. Hard. Something pounded into her chest. Spluttering water, Astrid's frail body spasmed, wrenching as she vomited up seawater and her eyes flew open, stinging from the salt.

"Astrid?" A concerned rough voice shouted, accompanied by someone jostled her shoulders roughly.

"Dad?" She mumbled, the last few minutes flooding back to her as her Father's face took shape before her.

"Toothless!" She yelled weakly, fighted her father's grip to jump back into the water. A pained looked came across the man's gruff face. Water dripped down his thick beard, landing on Astrid's already soaked body. Then he gave a curt nod before turning a leaping off the rock were Astrid was sitting and dove back into the water.

Astrid coughed and drug herself over to the water's edge, peering into the depths as she slowly got to her feet. After several deep breaths and a few shaky steps, her father had not resurfaced. Her anxiety building back up, she glanced back at the Monster. It swung its head, a rather slow motion due it its immense size, and its eyes kept blinking. Something was on its face. Astrid squinted trying to make out what it was. She could see the twins on the Zippleback flitting around the beast's head, and then she saw Fishlegs and Meatlug spin out of control, plummeting towards the gravelly beach.

 _Snotlout?_ She realized incredulously, but didnt have to think through the thought.

Toothless leapt out of the water, Stoick the Vast clutched in his paws. He deposited the great man on his feet, the bounded a few paces, shaking water from his scales before racing to Astrid and nuzzling her all over, making sure she was alright.

"I'm fine bud!" She assured him, smiling as warm relief flooded through her. She looked up and saw Stoick watching the whole exchange. He was breathing heavily, dripping wet, and looked incredibly...upset?

"Oh, Dad!" Astrid breathed, but Stoick held up a hand stopping her. The stayed like that, staring at each other, until Toothless warbled, motioning for Astrid to get a move on.

Astrid turned and swung her leg over Toothless, settling her foot on the pedal and getting a good grip on the saddle.

"Wait! Astrid!" Stoick called, taking a few steps towards her. She glanced back at him whilst tugging on a strap around Toothless's left front leg. His looked pained.

"I'm so sorry." He said looking crestfallen. "I am _proud_ to call you my daughter." His face softened slightly, one hand slightly outstretched reaching for her.

Astrid gave him a small smile. "Thanks Dad."

"Now go make Berk proud!" He yelled, raising his axe as Toothless took to the air. Astrid felt proud, confidence swelling in her chest as the Nightfury confidently made a loop around the Monster's head. It was about as close as her Father would ever get to praising her. Part of her prickled with doubt though. Perhaps Stoick was only saying those things now that he knew Astrid was their last hope? She violently shook her head and breathed stiffly in the cold air, made colder by the fact that she was dripping wet.

Astrid looked for her friends, but spotted them all on the ground, their dragons nowhere to be seen.

"Looks like we're on our own, bud!" Astrid called, leaning forward in the saddle as Toothless fired a blast at the beast's eye. A plan quickly formed in Astrid's head. She needed to get the beast away from everyone on the ground. They were defenseless against it, trapped between the rubble of the mountain and the sea. Ships burned, weapons destroyed, ferocity crushed.

The attention of the beast was now on Toothless. He swooped lighting quick circles around its massive head, shooting it when it turned its head to snap at him with its enormous jaw.

The it did something Astrid didn't expect. It opened its maw, as if to shoot a stream of flames, but instead sucked in, catching Toothless is a whirlwind of air so strong he started to be pulled back, into the gaping hole that served at the Monster's mouth.

Toothless cried out in alarm, winging harder as he struggled against the current of air. Astrid clutched the saddle, her fingers aching with the effort of it all.

"Go down! Down!" She shouted, throwing glances of her shoulder as the massive teeth, taller than a full grown man, made their way parallel to Toothless's tail.

Miraculously, the Nightfury seemed to understand her, folding in his wings and dropping his nose towards the beach. He lurched farther back for a heart stopping moment, the they dropped below the range of the pull, spiraling wildly until Toothless was able to regain control.

"Yes!" Astrid whooped as Toothless made another loop around the beast's back. Then she spotted them. A pair of massive wings, folded tightly against its side, covered in rubble and dust.

"Let's see if we can get 'er to use those!" Astrid called, urging Toothless to get the Monster mad. Really mad. Toothless warbled, landing on the top of the beast's head and running down the length of it, tipping his head back when he reached the edge, shooting another bright blue blast into the nostril of the Monster.

It bellow, tossing its head and catching Toothless by the tail as he darted away. The Nightfury spun wildly in the air, growling as Astrid working to help him regain his composer and zip away.

"Think that did it?" Astrid breathed, brushing back her hair and looking over her shoulder as Toothless arrived at the cloud barrier above the mountain. The Monster roared, spreading its already tattered wings, and launching itself into the air with a surprising amount of speed for its size. Its wingbeats sent the Vikings on the ground bowing over, the sheer amount of air moved by the action strong enough to make a full grown man bend at the knees. It opened its mouth, a green gas bubbling at the back of its throat before a blast of fire streamed past them.

"Alright Toothless!" Astrid called out encouragement as he shot the Monster, telling it his location to follow. "Time to disappear bud!" They pair flitted through the clouds, sticking to the thick banks that rolled off the beast's wings as it flew, an enraged growl sounding from all directions. It let streams of flame loose at every shadow it saw, making for some treacherous flying as Toothless swooped in and out, blasting it every chance he got.

Astrid clung on and working his tail, letting him make all the moves as she racked her brain for a plan. She knew its wings were thin, and already ripping, so maybe she could get it to crash into the ground? Then it came to her. They could light it on fire from the inside out! If Toothless could light the gas before it did, the fire would grow inside the Monster, where it had a store of gas built up inside. Then, if the crashed it into the ground, it would surely explode.

Astrid heart raced at the prospect, so scared she almost forgot how to breath.

"Alright bud! You're going to have to trust me!" She called as another huge river of flame streamed past them. Toothless couldn't get out of the way in time. He shrieked as his prosthetic tail caught fire.

 _Oh Gods._

"It's now or never!" She urged Toothless downwards, making sure the beast was giving chase. A line of smoke streamed from Toothless's tail and a cry of concern came from his mouth.

"Stay with me!" Astrid screamed, looking back, waiting for their oppertunitity. "Get ready!" Toothless flipped his head back, rocking wildly in the air, unable to steady himself with only half of a tail.

"Wait! Wait!" Astrid yelled as its mouth opened. "NOW!" Astrid had never yelled louder in her life. The green gas bubbled up from the depths of the Monster's insides as the ground raced up to meet them.

Toothless fired the shot, giving it all he had. His back arched and he spun out of control afterwards, the force sending him off his path.

"Yes!" Astrid yelled, gripping the saddle, flipped her head as she watched the Monster, as expected, erupted in flame. It shot out its wings, realizing the ground was almost upon it. Toothless steadied himself, but was losing altitude without his tail.

With a hideous sound, great gaping holes tore into the wings of the beast, the thin, sickly green colored flesh ripping like pieces of parchment paper under the immense force.

It tried to roar, but only fire billowed out from its opened mouth. The air current it left as it fell pulled the already unstable Toothless over towards it. Astrid held her breath as the beast's head met the ground, exploding in flames. Chunks of burning flesh were strewn about.

The rest of its body followed, tugging Toothless behind.

"It's okay!" Astrid tried to sound reassuring, but she was so scared. So scared.

Toothless screeched, backwinging as hard as he could, but it was unavoidable. The huge bulbous tail of the beast was following it down to the ground, swinging in a deadly arc, headed straight for the Nightfury and the young Viking perch atop his back.

"Watch out!" Astrid screamed, her voice rising an octave as the inevitable happened. It struck Toothless, sending Astrid spinning in cartwheels from his back. The flames from the crash site rose up, and Astrid fell down.

She cried out, desperately reaching out as Toothless surged to her. She knew he couldn't reach her before the flames swallowed her. Toothless knew it too, but that wouldn't stop him from trying.

Astrid knew the whole of Berk was watching. She knew they had seen it all. The battle. The crash. The impact. The tail hitting Toothless. Astrid bit back tears as she imagined Stoick's face in this instant. Watching his only daughter plunging into a mountain of flame, a Nightfury chasing her. She pictured Hiccup. She could see him so clearly. His auburn hair mess atop his head, green eyes wide, mouth open in a silent cry, one hand outstretched, reaching for Astrid, but helpless to save her. Helpless to do anything but watch.

Astrid could hardly feel the flames as they enveloped her. She kept looking up, silently now, seeing her own blond hair flying alongside her head, dried instantly in the heat of the flames, the ends sizzling, seeing her Toothless, her Nightfury, her best friend, reaching in vain for her, his mouth open, teeth extended, eyes narrowed into determined slits.

Astrid closed her eyes then, an image of the sky at sunset blazed on the backs of her eyelids. She was in the air. A set of arms were wrapped around her waist. It was warm out, a breeze blowing back her hair. Warm breath on the side of her neck. The pink and orange sky bathed her in its beautiful light. She was floating, but was wrapped up completely. Her memory of her first flight with Hiccup was indistinguishable from her present.

What was then and what was now?

Now was warm.

Now was black.

Wrapped in a warm blackness, Astrid let it claim her. She let herself become one with the warm blackness. It seeped into her eyes, her mouth, her nose. It covered her and surrounded her. It made her feel fuzzy again. Her mind was blank. Black. It was all black.

Astrid didn't fight it. This was her choice, and she had made it proudly.

The something penetrated the black.

A sharp red.

It seared it her left leg. She passed it off as her old burn, and returned to the

black.

This time it was final.

Black.

 **AN_**

 **There you are. The big scene. I'm not sure I did it justice, but here it is!**

 **There is one more chapter, to be posted on Wednesday. I also tried to write an** **epilogue of sorts, but I don't like, so I don't think I will be posting it. But, at the end, I do want to post something about the two projects I am currently working on, to see if anyone would be interesting in reading them, so stay tuned for that if you're interested.**

 **Thanks again for all the reviews, favorites** **and follows. :)**

 **-Birch66724**


	20. Chapter XX

The blackness was warm. It held her for a long time, rocked her back and forth, as if gliding across the sky, hugging her close. When it shattered, it shattered hard. Light leaked in, trying to disperse the blackness slowly, but the whole cocoon broke and the light came streaming in. It brought pain and cold and fear.

"Uh, Gothi? She's awake!"

Astrid struggled to make sense of the words. They were spoken by a familiar voice. A familiar earthy scent hung in the air, cloaking Astrid's foggy mind like a heavy fur.

"Oh, I'm sorry." The voice came again, accompanied by a sharp pain in her head, then it was gone, and the blackness returned. Astrid melted into it, rejoicing in its comforting warmth.

*****HOW ASTRID TRAINS YOUR DRAGON*****

The blackness coughed Astrid up once more. Rudely, it spat her out into the bright world, like a great wave from the sea washing ashore countless grains of sand, it returned Astrid to the land.

She blinked in the immense brightness, greeted by a familiar warble.

"Wha…?" She garbled, her mind struggling to clear the fog and make sense of the world.

Her vision focused, and there he was. Her Toothless, her Nightfury, her best friend. He perched on the side of her bed, vibrant green eyes round as the moon, staring intently at her face.

"Toothless?" She spoke, rubbing at her eyes. "Toothless!" She realized, trying to push herself upright in bed. "Uh, does Dad know you're here? You need to go!" Her left leg ached at the movement, but that wasn't her focus at the moment.

The Nightfury seemed thrilled that she was awake. He warbled and darted around the room, knocking over her desk chair and spilling a cup of quills.

"Woah! Take it easy!" Astrid heard her hoarse voice this time, and it all came rushing back. The dragons. The battle. Toothless diving after her. The flames. She was certain that she was dead!

"Are you okay bud?" She breathed, reaching out to him. He purred gently and plopped his big head in her lap. She noticed a wrapping on the end of his tail and briefly wondered who put it there.

She was distracted from the thought, however, by a piercing pain in her leg.

"Ouch." Astrid hissed, pushing back the pelt she had been covered with as her face contorted in pain.

She stared at what she saw, not processing it for a long moment.

There was an artfully crafted metal peg leg where her left foot and lower calf should be.

Her mind was blank as she traced her fingers over it, the cold metal feeling foreign in a place that had been flesh last time Astrid saw it. It was undoubtedly Gobber's handywork. No one else in the village was capable of such precision and detail in metal work.

It had a leather and cloth top, which was attached to Astrid's leg, or what remained of it, and a shaft that interlocked into a larger piece with a spring inside, obviously meant to achieve the same sensation at walking on a ankle. An ankle that could bend and flex and move.

A pang at what she'd lost hit Astrid then, as she rolled her leg back and forth, examining the new appendage. In that moment, she felt as if she had lost her freedom. She had lost her mobility and independence. Then, with a startling jolt, she realized what Toothless must have felt losing his tail.

Astrid looked up at her friend, his vivid eyes watching her intently, ears perked and head slightly tilted to the side, as if gauging Astrid's reaction. He purred when she looked up, stepping towards her and nuzzling her gently.

Astrid smiled sadly, scratching him absentmindedly. She couldn't remember anything after her fall from the sky. She wondered how much time had passed, and if everyone else was alright.

It took Astrid a long time to build up the courage to stand up. She sat on the edge of the bed, her foot and her prosthetic set lightly on the floor, staring at them. Toothless sat back and waited for her.

"Okay." Astrid breathed, placing her hands flat on the bed beside her, ready to push herself up. Toothless purred encouragingly. Astrid pinched the tip of her tongue between her teeth, her brow set in a determined expression.

Then she was standing. The prosthetic hurt where it met her leg, but Astrid passed it off as the wound underneath wasn't fully healed. Shifting her weight from her right foot to her fake foot, Astrid's confidence built.

"This isn't so bad. Is it bud?" Astrid tore her gaze from her feet and looked at Toothless. He gave her a gummy smile and swished his tail.

The Astrid took her first step.

"Woah!" She yelped as the smooth metal base of the prosthetic slid across the floor, sweeping Astrid's other foot with it. Toothless caught her with his broad head.

"Thanks!" She smiled at him, supporting herself on him as they walked to the front door. She grew steadier on her feet in even that short distance.

Pulling the handle of the front door, Astrid felt a brief wave of fear at what her father might say. He must know Toothless was in the house right now, but that didn't mean he approved.

A bright afternoon sun streamed through the door, Astrid flinched raising a hand to her eyes. Blinking the yellow light, a Monstrous Nightmare flashed across her porch.

"Ahh!" Astrid screamed and slammed shut the door.

"Astrid! Come out! It's only Hookfang!"

Astrid opened the door a crack and peaked out. Sure enough, Hookfang's red snout was right there, non threatening and laid back as per his usual. Astrid sighed and pulled the door open the rest of the way, bringing Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff, and Fishlegs into view.

Toothless nudged past Astrid as a familiar Zippleback made his way up the path. The Nightfury growled playfully and chased him around. Astrid laughed and took a few wobbly steps outside without Toothless to support her.

The gathered group was quiet for a few uncomfortable seconds, watching with guilt and sorrow as the maimed girl joined them.

"How's it been?" Astrid asked uncertainty, breaking the tension with a small smile.

"Oh my Thor Astrid! There has been so much going on. You should have seen the ship that I rebuilt on the Nest Island! You would have been so impressed!" Snotlout spouted off. Astrid smirked at him, shifting her weight back and forth as he talked. Then the twins joined in, bickering about who did more work.

Fishlegs cut them off after a moment, holding up a hand.

"How long have you been waiting out here for me?" Astrid asked, slightly embambarressed.

"Like, I dunno, 10 minutes." Tuffnut saided, slicing at a branch with a small blade, sending shavings of wood to the ground in delicate curls.

FIshlegs scoffed. "Not long. Gothi said that you'd be up some time today. Hiccup had been sitting out here all morning."

Astrid heart thumped at the mention of the boy's name.

"Oh, uh, where is he now?" Astrid asked, trying to sound casual.

"Gobber called him down to grab something." Snotlout muttered. "I don't know why Gobber would ask Hiccup when I am clearly so much stronger." He flexed his bicep, raising his eyebrow at Astrid as he did so. She gave him a tight lipped smile and looked away quickly.

"Okay. I think I'll head down. Is my father there too?"

"Yeah. He was livin' it up at the Great Hall." Ruffnut said.

"What?" Astrid laughed, letting Snotlout grab her arm as she almost tripped down the front steps.

"Yeah. You should see him."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, since the Nest got destroyed, and everyone got back okay, he's been celebrating." Snotlout explains, reluctantly releasing Astrid's arm when she wrenched it away from him.

"He's _livin'_ as much as you would expect Stoick the Vast to live." Fishlegs muttered.

"Huh. I was starting to think he was the one who'd hit his head." Astrid said.

"You are so funny!" Snotlout laughed obnoxiously. "Isn't Astrid just hilarious?" He elbowed Ruffnut, which earned him a punch in the ribs from the girl. Astrid mouthed a thank you to the blond haired Viking. Ruff flashed two thumbs up, kneeing the doubled over Snotlout for good measure.

"Not funny!" He wheezed. The others had a good chuckle as their dragons followed them down the cobblestone street.

"How many days was I out?" Astrid asked.

"Six days."

"Six days?!" Astrid cried. "That is so long!"

"Well, you need time to recover. Your body underwent some serious trauma, Astrid. Your epidermis was damaged by the fire, and you are lucky that you didn't suffer more severe injuries than a severed appendage with the fall that-"

"Okay! Enough geek talk!" Tuffnut yelled, walking backwards in front of the group so he could face Astrid while he spoke. "Gothi gave you some good stuff." He nodded with raised eyebrows.

"And Hiccup hit you upside the head with a pot." Ruffnut laughed.

"What?" Astrid was smiling at the twins' expressions though.

"Yeah! You woke up when Gothi was sawing through your leg bone! So he whacked you with that pot!" She cried, reenacting the scene with her brother, smacking Tuff on the head with her helmet.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Snotlout whimpered.

"What? Sawing through bones isn't your deal?" Ruffnut taunted, leading the boy to dry heave, clutching his stomach. She absolved in laughter as Astrid just dismissed the situation with a good natured head shake, making a mental note to ask Hiccup about the whole pot situation.

As they arrived in the town's square, boisterous voices could be heard spilling from the open doors of the Great Hall. Astrid could smells Mrs. Haddock's cod stew from all the way up the road, bringing back memories of the night when Hiccup had tried to make the recipe for her. It felt like a lifetime ago, although hardly a week had passed since.

"There she be!" Gobber hollered, banging open the door to the Smithy, clutching something in his arms. He hobbled over to Astrid, dropping is bundle on the ground, then crouching to examine her new leg.

"Pretty ain't it? Some of my best work there lass!" He chuckled and smothered Astrid in a hug.

"Yes! It is-" She started, but had the air squeezed from her lungs as her sore back cracked in several vertebrae. "Thank you Gobber." Astrid finished when the man released her.

"Aw, it's the least I could do for you." He clapped her shoulder, stooping to pick up the craft he had just dropped. "Got somethin' else here too." He groaned slightly as he retrieved the item and let if flopped open to its full size.

Astrid gasped and ran her hand along the leather. It was a new saddle, stitched with red thread and padding along the shoulder piece for Toothless, and long straps, perfectly measured and punched, and polished silver buckles.

"Gobber, it's… wow." Astrid said. Never had she received such a wonderful gift.

"And you haven't even seen the best part yet!" Gobber was grinning ear to ear, looking as excited, if not more, as Astrid felt.

"Hiccup! Get out here boyo!" Gobber hollered. A few seconds, Hiccup, accompanied by Stormfly, came jogging up the slope. Astrid beamed at him. He was clutching a large red object with more leather straps hanging from it. His eyes lit up when he saw Astrid, picking up his pace.

He open up the object as he reached her, revealing a new prosthetic tail piece for Toothless. It was made from the same res sail cloth as the last one, but it had a white skull and crossbones etched on it. It also looked to be made sturdier than the last, with the same stitching as the saddle.

"Oh Gobber. You shouldn't have." Astrid sighed, taking the tail from Hiccup. Toothless, who had been greeting Stormfly, came over and nosed it expectantly, dancing around when he realized what it was.

"I really shouldn't have. We had a helluva time getting that overgrown lizard of yers to sit still to measure him." Gobber picked at his ear.

"Astrid! Good to see you're up!" Astrid could hear Stoick calling from down the road. Soon, half of the village it seemed had poured out of the Great Hall after Stoick and had surrounded them on the street.

"Hi Dad." Astrid smiled, feeling shy now with everyone around.

"Come here!" He opened his arms to her, wrapping her up in a huge hug. His breath smelled of one cup of mead to many, but Astrid didn't mind. He obviously didn't seem to have a problem with the dragons, although not the same could be said for some of the other Berkians. The stood around warily, eyeing the Nightfury and the Nadder. Shooting glances to the Nightmare and the Gronkle and the Zippleback.

"How is everything?" Astrid asked once Stoick let her back to the ground.

"How is it? It's wonderful! All thanks to you, Astrid!" He boomed, widening his arms out to everyone gathered around. Astrid fidgeted with her hands and felt her face heat up as people began to cheer, sloshing mugs of mead and whacking one another on the helmet.

"And you!" he started again once he cheer ebbed. "You're okay thanks to this young man right here! Flew you all the way back to Berk on the back of that there Nadder! Got you all fixed up with Gothi!" He shook Hiccup by the shoulders and the boy ducked his head, smiling at the praise.

Everyone cheered again as Astrid turned to Hiccup. She hadn't know that! Hiccup had been the one to bring her all the way back. He had held her unconscious body across the entire sea as they flew back to Berk.

Hiccup's eyes found hers through the comotion and he flashed his lopsided grin. The grin that could make Astrid's heart melt in an instant.

"I didn't know that!" Astrid exclaimed. Walking up to Hiccup, who shrugged mildly, still smiling, his cheeks flushing for the first time Astrid could remember.

"Hiccup!" Astrid said loudly, seemingly at a loss for words. Someone bumped her from behind, knocking the unstable Astrid off of her new feet, straight into Hiccup. He caught her easily, his arms fitting automatically under Astrid's and pulling her to his chest. Astrid wrapped her hands around his neck, raising her chin to set it on his shoulder.

"I've got you, Astrid." He spoke only to her, his breath warm on her ear. "Again."

Astrid pulled back to see his smirking face. "Oh you little-" Astrid started, but was cut off when he pressed his lips to hers. In front of everyone! Astrid was mortified, but only briefly. Hiccup held her tight to him, cupping her face with one hand and keeping the other on the small of her back.

Astrid pulled away, redder than the new tailpiece, to a chorus of oohs and aahs from the gathered group.

Stoick gave a hearty laugh. "I always knew that would happen." He said, putting a hand on each of their shoulders. "I'm proud of you, Astrid. I really am proud to call you my daughter."

Astrid smiled at her father, warmed by his words and his acceptance.

The he turned to Hiccup. "And you! Now it's your job to keep her from ever doing something that reckless again!"

 **AN_ (I know it's long, feel free to skip)**

 **There we are! The end of How Astrid Trains Your Dragon!**

 **I cannot thank everyone enough for the reviews and favorites and follows! I never imagined I could write something that so many people would be interested in. I want to say a special thanks to CajunBear73 for all of the wonderful and thoughtful reviews they left. :)**

 **Also, last chapter, I received more than one comment about Astrid and her new leg. I agree that it is a better look on Hiccup, but I set out to write a story in which Hiccup and Astrid switched roles in the story, and to me, the leg is a huge part of Hiccup's story, so leaving that out for Astrid takes away some of the effectiveness for me. I do agree with you though, but this is simply the way I choose to write the story.**

 **And then that brings me to the matter that today, the day I posted this chapter on, is Thursday. For that, I am sorry. I promised this update on Wednesday, but somethings didn't quite work out. First of all, yesterday was my birthday! I was super busy and the matter of this chapter just slipped from my mind. I don't feel particularly inclined to share how old I turned, but I had a great day if you were wondering. Lots of fun with friends and family, good food, and nice weather.**

 **As a slight apology and birthday gift from me to you, I will leave my future plans for writing in this fandom here, today, instead of making a separate chapter for them.**

 **1\. Take a Leap of Faith. This is an AU story set in Astrid's POV. She lives with her parents on a farm in the midwest. One day, her mother's old friend turns up with some news and someone. In a startling turn if events, Hiccup winds up living with Astrid on their family farm, uncovering the mystery of the black stallion that turned up around the same time as Hiccup.**

 **All of the dragons appear as horses, so that's sort of fun...?**

 **I don't really know about this fic. It isn't quite turning out the way I imagined so I don't think it would be something I will post. I have about 30,000 words into it and I am not currently working on it.**

 **2\. Unnamed Fic. This story is set between the first a second movies. Written between Hiccup's POV and an OC named Ayla. It follows Ayla's story as she makes he way in the world as she searches for answers in the form of another Nightfury. Hiccup struggles through his older teen years, juggling his responsibilities with his father, Gobber, his exploration streak, Astrid, and this new Nightfury rider. They both discover things they never knew existed and that the world is a lot wider than it may appear.**

 **Sort of magic I suppose, Hiccstrid, romance, adventure, coming of age in a way.**

 **I am quite excited about this fic, so I will more than likely post it, although I don't know when. I don't like to start posting until I have things mostly written. Also, if you have name suggestion based on that very lame description I provided, feel free to leave that!**

 **Please let me know what you think of either of these ideas!**

 **Thanks once again!**

 **-Birch66724**


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